428 cook's voyage to feb. 



to prevent our anchoring, on account of the foul 

 ground, which the maps she had on board placed 

 here. However, as we found none, having a muddy 

 bottom, and good holding ground, in sixty fathoms 

 water, we kept fast till the return of the boat, which 

 brought orders to proceed the next morning to 

 Prince's Island. We were at this time two miles 

 distant from the shore ; the peak of Cracatoa bore 

 north-west by north ; Bantam Point east north-east 

 half east; Prince's Island south-west by west. 



The island of Cracatoa is the southernmost of a 

 group situated in the entrance of the Straits of Sunda. 

 It has a high-peaked hill on the south end # , which 

 lies in latitude 6° 9' S., and longitude 105* 15' 

 E.; the whole circuit of the island is not more than 

 three leagues. Off the north-east end lies a small 

 island, which forms the road where the Resolution 

 anchored; and within a reef that runs off the south 

 end of the latter, there is good shelter against all 

 northerly winds, with eighteen fathoms water near 

 the reef, and twenty-seven in the mid-channel. To 

 the north-west, there is a narrow pass for boats 

 between the two islands. 



The shore, which forms the western side of the 

 road, is in a north-west direction, and has a bank 

 of coral stretching into the sea, about one third of 

 a cable's length, which makes the landing difficult 

 for boats, except at high water ; but the anchoring 

 ground is very good, and free from rocks. The place 

 where the Resolution watered is a small spring, 

 situated abreast of the south end of the small island, 

 at a short distance from the water-side. A little to 

 the southward, there is a very hot spring, which is 

 used by the natives as a bath. Whilst we were lying 



* The island of Tamarin, or Sambouricou, which lies about 

 four leagues to the north of Cracatoa, may be easily mistaken 

 for the latter, having a hill of nearly the same size and form, 

 situated also near its southern extremity. 



