17?4' ROUXD THE WORLD. 81 



of Mallicollo extending from S. 30° East, to S.58° 

 West ; the land to the north from N- 70° West, to N. 

 4° East ; and the Isle of Lepers bearing N. 30 c East, 

 distant eleven or twelve leagues. We now made sail, 

 and steered N. by E., and afterwards north, along the 

 east coast of the northern land, with a fine breeze at 

 S. E. We found that this coast, which at first ap- 

 peared to be continued, was composed of several low 

 woody isles, the most of them of small extent, ex- 

 cept the southernmost, which, on account of the day, 

 I named St. Bartholomew. It is six or seven leagues 

 in circuit, and makes the N.E. point of Bougainville's 

 Passage. At noon the breeze began to slacken. We 

 were, at this time, between two and three miles from 

 the land, and observed, in latitude 15° 23', the Isle 

 of Lepers bearing from E. by N. to E. by S., distant 

 seven leagues ; and an high bluff-head, at which the 

 coast we were upon seemed to terminate, N.N. W. -£ 

 W., distant ten or eleven leagues ; but from the mast- 

 head we could see land to the east. This we judged 

 to be an island, and it bore N. by W. -i W. 



As we advanced to N. N T . W. along a fine coast, 

 covered with woods, we perceived low land that ex- 

 tended off from the bluff-head towards the island 

 above mentioned, but did not seem to join it. It 

 was my intention to have gone through the channel, 

 but the approach of night made me lay it aside, and 

 steer without the island. During the afternoon we 

 passed some small isles lying under the shore ; and 

 observed some projecting points of unequal height, 

 but were not able to determine whether or no they 

 were connected with the main land. Behind them 

 was a ridge of hills which terminated at the bluff- 

 head. There were cliffs, in some places of the coast, 

 and white patches, which we judged to be chalk. At 

 ten o'clock, being the length of the isle which lies 

 off the head, we shortened sail, and spent the night 

 making short boards. 



At day-break, on the 25th, we were on the north 



VOL. IV. o 



