1779- THE pacific ocean. 79 



away a league and a half, when we again steered to 

 the northward ; and, after passing over a bank, with 

 nineteen fathoms' water, stood for a passage between 

 Mowee and an island called Ranai. At noon, the 

 latitude was, by observation, 20° 42' north, and the 

 longitude 203° 22' east ; the southern extremity of 

 Mowee bearing east south-east, quarter east ; the 

 southern extremity of Ranai west north-west, 

 quarter west ; Morotoi, north-west and by north ; 

 and the western extremity of Tahoorowa, south by 

 east, seven miles distant. Our longitude was accu- 

 rately deduced from observations made by the time- 

 keeper before and after noon, compared with the 

 longitude found by a great many distances of the 

 moon from the sun and stars, which were also 

 observed the same day. 



In the afternoon, the weather being calm, with 

 light airs from the west, we stood on to the north 

 north-west ; but, at sun-set, observing a shoal, 

 which appeared to stretch to a considerable distance 

 from the west point of Mowee, toward the middle of 

 the passage, and the weather being unsettled, we 

 tacked, and stood toward the south. 



The south-west side of this island, which we now 

 had passed without being able to get near the shore, 

 forms the same distant view with the north-east, as 

 seen on our return from the north, in November 

 1778 ; the mountainous parts, which are connected 

 by a low, flat isthmus, appearing at first like two se- 

 parate islands. This deception continued on the 

 south-west side, till we approached within eight or 

 ten leagues of the coast, which, bending inward, to a 

 great depth, formed a fine capacious bay. The 

 westernmost point, off which the shoal we have just 

 mentioned runs, is made remarkable by a small 

 hillock, to the southward of which there is a fine 

 sandy bay, with several huts on the shore, and a 

 number of cocoa-nut trees growing about them. 



During the course of the day, we were visited by 



