1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 2^7 



that we had only one high tide in twenty-four hours, 

 which happened in the night. The difference be- 

 tween the perpendicular rise of the water in the day 

 and the night, when there is a spring-tide, is no less 

 than three feet, which, where the tides are so incon- 

 siderable as they are here, is a great proportion of 

 the whole difference between high and low water. 

 This irregularity of the tides, which is worthy of 

 notice, we did not discover till we were run ashore, 

 and perhaps farther to the northward it is still 

 greater : after we got within the reef the second 

 time, we found the tides more considerable than we 

 had ever done before, except in the Bay of Inlets, 

 and possibly this may be owing to the water being 

 more confined between the shoals ; here also the 

 flood sets to the north-west, and continues in the 

 same direction to the extremity of New Wales, from 

 whence its direction is west and south-west into the 

 Indian sea. 



Q 2 



