1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 193 



near us : we therefore wore and brought to, sending 

 away the pinnace and yawl to direct us, and then 

 steered N. W. along the S. W. or inside of the shoals, 

 keeping a good look-out from the mast-head, and 

 having another shoal on our larboard side : we found, 

 however, a good channel of a mile broad between 

 them, in which we had from ten to fourteen fathom. 

 At eleven o'clock, we were nearly the length of the 

 land detached from the main, and there appeared to 

 be no obstruction in the passage between them ; 

 yet, having the long-boat astern and rigged, we sent 

 her away to keep in shore upon our larboard bow, 

 and at the same time dispatched the pinnace a star- 

 board ; precautions which I thought necessary, as 

 we had a strong flood that carried us an end very fast, 

 and it was near high water : as soon as the boats were 

 a-head, we stood after them, and by noon, got through 

 the passage. Our latitude, by observation, was then 

 10 36', and the nearest part of the main, which we 

 soon after found to be the northermost, bore W. 2 S., 

 distant between three or four miles : we found the 

 land, which was detached from the main, to be a 

 single island, extending from N. to N. 75 E., distant 

 between two and three miles ; at the same time we 

 saw other islands at a considerable distance, extend- 

 ing from N. by W. to W. N. W., and behind them 

 another chain of high land, which we judged also to 

 be islands ; there were still other islands, extending 

 as far as N. 71 W., which at this time we took for the 

 main. 



The point of the main which forms the side of the 

 channel through which we passed, opposite to the 

 island, is the northern promontory of the country, 

 and I called it York Cape. Its longitude is 218 &' 

 W., the latitude of the north point is 10 37', and of 

 the east point 10 42' S. The land over the east 

 point, and to the southward of it, is rather low, and 

 as far as the eye can reach, very flat, and of a barren 

 appearance. To the southward of the Cape the shore 



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