1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 37o 



ceedingly difficult for such bad sailing ships as ours 

 to fetch Macao, particularly should the wind continue 

 to blow as it now did, from the north north-east and 

 north. As I had some doubts whether Mr. Dairy tu- 

 ple's charts were on board the Resolution, I made 

 sail and hailed her ; and having acquainted Captain 

 Gore with the position of these shoals, and my ap- 

 prehensions of being driven to the southward, he 

 informed me that he should continue on his course 

 for the day, as he was still in hopes of finding 

 Admiral Byron's longitude right ; and, therefore, 

 ordered me to spread a few miles to the south. 



At noon the weather became hazy ; the latitude, 

 by reckoning, was 21° 2', and longitude 118° 30'; 

 and at six, having got to the westward of the Bashees, 

 by Mr. Byron's account, Captain Gore hauled his 

 wind to the north-west under an easy sail, the wind 

 blowing very strong, and there being every appear- 

 ance of a dirty boisterous night. At four in the 

 morning of the 28th, we saw the Resolution, then 

 half a mile ahead of us, wear, and immediately per- 

 ceived breakers close under our lee. At day-light 

 we saw the island of Prata ; and at half past six we 

 wore again, and stood toward the shoal, and rinding 

 we could not weather it, bore away and ran to lee- 

 ward. As we passed the south side, within a mile of 

 the reef, we observed two remarkable patches on the 

 edges of the breakers that looked like wrecks. At 

 noon, the latitude found by double altitudes was 20° 

 39', longitude 116° 45'. The island bore north three 

 quarters east, distant three or four leagues. On 

 the south-west side of the reef, and near the south 

 end of the island, we thought we saw from the mast- 

 head openings in the reef, which promised safe 

 anchorage. 



The Prata shoal is of a considerable extent, being 

 six leagues from north to south, and stretching three 

 or four leagues to the eastward of the island ; itslimitto 

 the westward we were not in a situation to determine*, 



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