1774. ROUND THE WORLD. 121 



reef; and at eleven, a breeze springing up atS.S.W. 

 we hoisted in the boats, and made sail to S.E. At 

 noon we observed in 19° 35' South, which was con- 

 siderably more to the south than we expected, and 

 showed that a current or tide had been in our favour 

 all night, and accounted for our getting so unexpect- 

 edly clear of the shoals. At two o'clock P.M. we 

 had again a calm, which lasted till nine, when it was 

 succeeded by a light air from E.N.E. and E., with 

 which we advanced but slowly. 



On the l?th, at noon, we observed in latitude 

 19° 54/, when the Isle of Balabea bore S. 60° West, 

 ten and a half leagues distant. We continued to ply, 

 with variable light winds, between N. E. and S. E. 

 without meeting with any thing remarkable till the 

 20th at noon, when Cape Colnet bore N. 78° West, 

 distant six leagues. From this cape the land ex- 

 tended round by the south to E.S.E. till it was lost 

 in the horizon ; and the country appeared with many 

 hills and vallies. Latitude observed 20° 41', longi- 

 tude made from Observatory Isle 1° 8' East. We 

 stood in shore with a light breeze at east till sunset, 

 when we were between two and three leagues off. 

 The coast extended from S. 42° -£• East to N. 59° 

 West. Two small islets lay without this last direc- 

 tion, distant from us four or five miles ; some others 

 lay between us and the shore, and to the east, where 

 they seemed to be connected by reefs, in which ap- 

 peared some openings from space to space. The 

 country was mountainous, and had much the same 

 aspect as about Balade. On one of the western small 

 isles was an elevation like a tower ; and, over a low 

 neck of land within the isle, were seen many other 

 elevations resembling the masts of a fleet of ships. 



Next day, at sunrise, after having stood off ail 

 night with a light breeze at S.E., we found ourselves 

 about six leagues from the coast ; and in this situ- 

 ation we were kept by a calm till ten in the evenings 



