CARLSHOF ISLAND. 113 
see land. Under these circumstances, to at- 
tempt to regain the Spiridow Island would 
have been attended by too great loss of time; 
so that we remained uncertain whether this 
and the other, which we saw in the North, were 
the two King George’s Islands or not. I can 
only say, that if they really aré so, their disco- 
verer has given their geographical position very 
inaccurately. | 
The. south-east trade-wind had ceased to be- 
friend us, and shifting gusts from the north- 
west and south blew with such violence as fre- 
quently to tear our sails, accompanied by in- 
cessant rain and storm. The sea being at the 
same time remarkably calm, proved that we 
were surrounded by islands, and that, in conse- 
quence, the greatest caution was required in 
sailing, especially as the currents in this region 
are often very strong. We soon saw land di- 
rectly before us; and as in the neighbourhood 
of all coral islands the depth of the sea cannot 
be sounded at a distance of fifty fathoms from 
the shore, we approached within a mile of it. 
This island stretches ten miles in length, from 
Hast to West, and is only four miles broad ; it 
