406 cook's voyage to jan. 



employed in their service. As this intelligence was 

 farther confirmed by private letters of several of the 

 supercargoes, Captain Gore thought himself bound, 

 in return for the liberal exceptions made in our 

 favour, to refrain from availing himself of any oppor- 

 tunities of capture, which these might afford, and 

 to preserve, throughout his voyage, the strictest neu- 

 trality. 



At two in the afternoon, having got under sail, the 

 Resolution saluted the fort of Macao with eleven 

 guns, which was returned with the same number. 

 At five, the wind dropping, the ship missed stays, 

 and drove into shallow water ; but, by carrying out 

 an anchor, she was hauled off without receiving the 

 smallest damage. The weather continuing calm, we 

 were obliged to warp out into the entrance of the 

 Typa, which we gained by eight o'clock, and lay 

 there till nine the next morning ; when by the help 

 of a fresh breeze from the east, we stood to the 

 southward between Potoe and Wungboo. 



At noon, we were saluted by a Swedish ship as she 

 passed us on her way to Europe. At four, the La- 

 drone bore east, distant two leagues. We now 

 steered south half-east, with a fresh breeze from the 

 east-north-east, without any occurrence worth remark- 

 ing, till noon of the 15th ; when, being in latitude 

 18° 57', and longitude 114° 13', the wind veering to 

 the north, we directed our course half a point more 

 to the eastward, in order to strike soundings over the 

 Macclesfield Bank. This we effected at eight in the 

 evening of the 16'th, and found the depth of water 

 to be fifty fathoms, over a bottom of white sand and 

 shells. This part of the Macclesfield shoals we 

 placed in latitude 15° 51', and longitude 114° 20'; 

 which agrees very exactly with the position given in 

 Mr. Dalrymple's map, whose general accuracy, if it 

 stood in need of any support, was confirmed, in this 

 instance, by a great number of lunar observations, 

 which we had an opportunity of making every day 



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