177^. ROUND THE WORLD. 7 



the South, to look for a passage that way. At noon, 

 the southernmost island bore S. W. ; distant four miles. 

 North of this isle were three others, all connected 

 by breakers, which we were not sure did not join to 

 those we had seen in the morning, as some were ob- 

 served in the intermediate space. Some islands were 

 also seen to the West of those four ; but Rotterdam 

 was not yet in sight. Latitude 20° 23' S. longitude 

 I74 6' West. During the whole afternoon, we had 

 little wind : so that, at sunset, the southernmost isle 

 bore W. N. W., distant five miles ; and some breakers, 

 we had seen to the South, bore now S. S. W. half 

 W. Soon after it fell calm, and we were left to the 

 mercy of a great easterly swell ; which, however, 

 happened to have no great effect upon the ship. The 

 calm continued till four o'clock the next morning, 

 when it was succeeded by a breeze from the South. 

 At day-light, perceiving a likelihood of a passage 

 between the islands to the North, and the breakers to 

 the South, we stretched in West, and soon after saw 

 more islands, both to the S. W. and N. W. but the 

 passage seemed open and clear. Upon drawing near 

 the islands, we sounded, and found forty-five and 

 forty fathoms, a clear sandy bottom. I was now 

 quite easy, since it was in our power to anchor, in 

 case of a calm ; or to spend the night, if we found 

 no passage. Towards noon, some canoes came off 

 to us from one of the isles, having two or three peo- 

 ple in each ; who advanced boldly along-side, and 

 exchanged some cocoa-nuts, and shaddocks for small 

 nails. They pointed out to us Anamocka or Rotter- 

 dam ; an advantage we derived from knowing the 

 proper names. They likewise gave us the names of 

 some of the other isles, and invited us much to go 

 to theirs, which they called Cornango. The breeze 

 freshening, we left them astern, and steered for Ana- 

 mocka ; meeting with a clear passage, in which we 

 found unequal sounding, from forty to nine fathoms* 



B 4f 



