228 VOYAGE TO THE 



cupy several days in examining, I did not wait to search 

 for Disappointment Island, which is said to be very 

 small. I have since been informed that this island, 

 which in all probability is the same as the ishmd of 

 Rosario, was seen by a whaler, who, not being able 

 to find it a second time, bestowed upon it the name of 

 Invisible Island. It is said to he ninety miles N.W. 

 from port Lloyd, a place which I shall presently 



notice. 



The next evening we reached the situation of the 

 Bonin Islands in Arrowsmith's chart, and the follow- 

 ing morning made sail as usual, without seeing any 

 land. We were almost on the point of declaring them 

 invisible also, when, after having stood to the eastward 

 a few hours, we had the satisfciction to descry several 

 islands, extending in a north and south direction as 

 far as the eye could discern. They all appeared to be 

 small, yet they were high and very remarkable ; par- 

 ticularly one near the centre, which I named after 

 Captain Kater, V. P. R. S., &c. 



As the islands to the southward appeared to be the 

 largest, I proposed to examine them first ; and find- 

 ing they were fertile, and likely to afford good anchor- 

 age, Lieutenant Belcher was sent in shore with a boat 

 to search for a harbour. In the evening he returned 

 with a favourable report, and with a supply of four- 

 teen large green turtle. 



We stood off and on for the night with very thick 

 weather ; and at daylight, when by our reckoning the 

 ship should have been seven miles from the land, we 

 unexpectedly saw the rocks beneath the fog, about a 

 fifth of a mile distant, and had but just room to clear 

 them by going about. The depth of water at the time 

 was sixty fathoms ; so that had it been blowing strong 



