THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



415 



In the forenoon of the 29th, we patted feveral Chinefe fifh- »779« 



, * , . , , . —. November. 



mg boats, who eyed us with great indifference. They fifh — - » 



with a large dredge-net, fliaped like a hollow cone, having 

 a flat iron rim fixed to the lower part of its mouth. The nee 

 is made fad with cords to the head and flern 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 

 forry to find the fea covered with the wrecks of boats that 

 had been loft, as we conjectured, in the late boifterous wea- 

 ther. At noon, we were in latitude, by obfervation, 22° 1', 

 having run one hundred and ten miles upon a North Weft 

 courfe fince the preceding noon. Being now nearly in the 

 latitude of the Lema Iflands, we bore away Weft by North, 

 and, after running twenty-two miles, faw one of them nine 

 or ten leagues to the Weftward. At fix, the extremes of the 

 iflands in fight bore North North Weft half Weft, and Weft 

 North Weft half Weft ; diftant from the neareft four or five 

 leagues ; the depth of water twenty-two fathoms, over a foft 

 muddy bottom. We now fhortcned fail, and kept upon our 

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

 Lema bore from the Prata Ifland, North 6o° Weft, one hun- 

 dred and fifty-three miles ; and by our run, North 57 

 Weft, one hundred and forty-fix miles. 



In the morning of the 30th, we ran along the Lema Ifles, Tuefday . 

 which, like all the other iflands on this coaft, are without 

 wood, and, as far as we could obferve, without cultivation. 

 At feven o'clock, we had precifely the ferae view of thefe 

 iflands, as is reprefented in a plate of Lord Anfon's voyage. 

 At nine o'clock, a Chinefe boat, which had been before 

 with the Refolution, came along-fide, and wanted to put 

 on board us a pilot, which however we declined, as it wa s 

 4 our . 



