1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 103 



At six in the morning we weighed, with a gentle 

 breeze from the southward, and steered N. W. J W., 

 edging in for the land, till we got within two miles of 

 it, with water from seven to eleven fathom ; we then 

 steered N. N. W. as the land lay, and at noon our 

 latitude was 24 19'. We continued in the same 

 course, at the same distance, with from twelve 

 fathom to seven, till five in the evening, when we 

 were abreast of the south point of a large open bay, 

 in which I intended to anchor. During this course, 

 we discovered with our glasses that the land was 

 covered with palm-nut trees, which we had not seen 

 from the time of our leaving the islands within the 

 tropic : we also saw two men walking along the 

 shore, who did not condescend to take the least no- 

 tice of us. In the evening, having hauled close upon 

 a wind, and made two or three trips, we anchored 

 about eight o'clock in five fathom, with a fine sandy 

 bottom. The south point of the bay bore E. S. 

 distant two miles, the north point N. W. i N., and 

 about the same distance from the shore. 



Early the next morning I went ashore, with a 

 party of men, in order to examine the country, ac- 

 companied by Mr. Banks, Dr. Solander, the other 

 gentlemen, and Tupia : the wind blew fresh, and 

 we found it so cold, that being at some distance 

 from the shore, we took our cloaks as a necessary 

 equipment for the voyage. We landed a little with- 

 in the south point of the bay, where we found a 

 channel leading into a large lagoon : this channel I 

 proceeded to examine, and found three fathom water 

 till I got about a mile up it, where I met with a 

 shoal, upon which there was little more than one 

 fathom, but having passed over it, I had three 

 fathom again. The entrance of this channel lies 

 close to the south point of the bay, being formed by 

 the shore on the east, and on the west by a large 

 spit of sand : it is about a quarter of a mile broad, 

 and lies in S. by W. In this place there is room for 



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