576 cook's voyage to nov. 



The north-east extremity we place in latitude 20° 

 58\ and longitude 1 17° ; and the south-west in latitude 

 20° 4,5', and longitude 116° 44'. 



For the remaining part of the day we carried a 

 press of sail, and kept the wind, which was north-east 

 by north, in order to secure our passage to Macao. 

 It was fortunate that, toward evening, the wind 

 favoured us by changing two points more to the 

 east ; for, had the wind and weather continued, the 

 same as during the preceding week, I doubt whether 

 we could have fetched that port, in which case we 

 must have borne away for Batavia ; a place we all 

 dreaded exceedingly, from the sad havoc the un- 

 healthiness of the climate had made in the crews of 

 the former ships that had been out on discovery, and 

 had touched there. 



In the forenoon of the 29th, we passed several 

 Chinese fishing-boats, who eyed us with great indif- 

 ference. They fish with a large dredge-net, shaped 

 like a hollow cone, having a flat iron rim fixed to the 

 lower part of its mouth. The net is made fast with 

 cords to the head and stern of the boat, which being 

 left to drive with the wind, draws the net after it, 

 with the iron part dragging along the bottom. We 

 were sorry to find the sea covered with the wrecks 

 of boats that had been lost, as we conjectured, in the 

 late boisterous weather. At noon we were in lati- 

 tude, by observation, $8? V, having run one hundred 

 and ten miles upon a north-west course since the 

 preceding noon. Being now nearly in the latitude 

 of the Lema Islands, we bore away west by north, 

 and, after running twenty-two miles, saw one of them 

 nine or ten leagues to the westward. At six, the ex- 

 tremes of the islands in sight bore north north-west 

 half west, and west north-west half west; distant 

 from the nearest four or five leagues ; the depth of 

 water twenty-two fathoms, over a soft muddy bottom. 

 We now shortened sail, and kept upon our tacks for 

 the night. By Mr. Bayly's time-keeper, the Grand 



"16 



