PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 321 



point these breakers extend a mile and a half. The chap. 

 soundings in the bay are regular, upon a sandy «— v^ 

 bottom, and there is good anchorage, if required, ^6 

 with the wind from the eastward ; but it would not 

 be advisable to bring up under any other circum- 

 stances. The natives are a darker race of people 

 than those of Woahoo, and reminded us strongly of 

 the inhabitants of Bow Island. With the exception 

 of the house of the Earee, all the huts were small, 

 low, and hot ; the one which we occupied was so 

 close that we were obliged to make a hole in its side 

 to admit the sea breeze. 



We took on board as many yams as the natives 

 could collect before sun-set, and then shaped our 

 course for Kamschatka. In doing this I deviated 

 from the tracks of both Cook and Clerke, which I 

 think was the occasion of our passage being shorter 

 than either of theirs. Instead of running to the 

 westward in a low latitude, we passed to the east- 

 ward of Bird Island, and gained the latitude of 27° N. 

 In this parallel we found the trade much fresher, 

 though more variable, and more subject to interrup- 

 tion, than within the tropic ; we had also the advan- 

 tage of a more temperate climate, of which we stood 

 in need, as the sickness among the ship's company 

 was so far from being removed, that on the 13th we 

 had the misfortune to lose one of the marines. On 

 this day we spoke the Tuscan, an English whale- 

 ship, and found that on quitting the Sandwich 

 Islands her crew had suffered in the same way as our 

 own, but had since quite recovered. In all proba- 

 bility the sudden change of diet from the usual 

 seafare to so much vegetable food, added to the heat 

 and humidity of the atmosphere at the season in 



vol. i. Y 



