1779- THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 81 



hills, rising perpendicularly from the sea, with ragged 

 and broken summits ; the sides covered with wood, 

 and the valleys between them of a fertile and well 

 cultivated appearance. To the southward, we saw 

 an extensive bay, bounded by a low point of land to 

 the south-east which was covered with cocoa-nut 

 trees ; and off it stood a high insulated rock, about a 

 mile from the shore. The haziness of the weather 

 prevented our seeing distinctly the land to the south- 

 ward of the point ; we could only perceive that it 

 was high and broken. 



As the wind continued to blow very fresh, we 

 thought it dangerous to entangle ourselves with a 

 lee-shore ; and therefore did not attempt to examine 

 the bay, but hauled up, and steered to the north- 

 ward, in the direction of the coast. At noon, we 

 were abreast of the north point of the island, about 

 two leagues from the land, which is low and flat, and 

 has a reef stretching off it to the distance of near a 

 mile and a half. The latitude, by observation, 21° 

 50' north, longitude 202° 15' east ; the extreme 

 parts of the island in sight, bearing south south- 

 east, quarter east, and south-west by south, three- 

 quarters west. 



Between the north point and a distant headland, 

 which we saw to the south-west, the land bends in- 

 ward considerably, and appeared likely to afford a 

 good road. We therefore directed our course along 

 the shore, at the distance of about a mile, carrying 

 regular soundings from twenty to thirteen fathoms. 

 At a quarter past two, the sight of a fine river, run- 

 ning through a deep valley, induced us to come to an 

 anchor in thirteen fathoms water, with a sandy bot- 

 tom - y the extreme points of the bay bearing south- 

 west by west half west, and north-east by east 

 three-quarters east ; and the mouth of the river 

 south-east half east, one mile distant. In the after- 

 noon, I attended the two captains on shore, where 

 we found but few of the natives, and those mostly 



VOL. VII. G 



