1779' THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 499 



orders to land, and to look for fresh water. Upon 

 his return, he reported that, at two cables lengths 

 from the shore, he had found no soundings with a line 

 of one hundred and sixty fathoms ; that, when he 

 landed, he found no stream or spring, but only rain- 

 water, deposited in holes upon the rocks ; and even 

 that was brackish, from the spray of the sea; and that 

 the surface of the country was entirely composed of 

 slags and ashes, with a i'ew plants here and there in- 

 terspersed. Between ten and eleven we saw with 

 pleasure the Discovery coming round the south point 

 of the island ; and, at one in the afternoon, she joined 

 us. Captain Gierke then coming on board, informed 

 me that he had cruised four or five days where we 

 were separated, and then plied round the east side 

 of the island ; but that, meeting with unfavourable 

 winds, he had been carried to some distance from 

 the coast. He had one of the islanders on board all 

 this time, who had remained there from choice, and 

 had refused to quit the ship, though opportunities 

 had offered. 



Having spent the night standing off and on, we 

 stood in again the next morning, and when we were 

 about a league from the shore, many of the natives 

 visited us. At noon the observed latitude was 19 1', 

 and the longitude, by the time-keeper, was 203 26'; 

 the island extending from S. 74 E., to N. 13 W. ; 

 the nearest part two leagues distant. 



At day-break, on the 8th, we found that the cuiv 

 rents, during the night, which we spent in plying, 

 had carried us back considerably to windward, so that 

 we were now off the south-west point of the island. 

 There we brought to, in order to give the natives an 

 opportunity of trading with us. At noon our ob- 

 served latitude was 19 I', and our longitude, by the 

 time- keeper, was 'i03 13'; the south-west point of 

 the island bearing N. 30 E. ; two miles distant. 



We spent the night as usual, standing off and on. 

 It happened that four men and ten women who bap 1 



k k 2 



