156 FROM CONCEPTION BAY 



and all of them, even the smallest, which are per- 

 haps no more than one hundred fathoms long, are 

 thickly covered with the finest trees. It maybe con- 

 jectured, that these islands form a circle, because, 

 from the mast-head, where we could see the hori- 

 zon beyond the chain, the sea appeared quite calm, 

 whereas on this side there was a high surf. At 

 noon, we sailed past a small reef, where we could 

 take the altitude of the sun beyond the land ; upon 

 this we sailed along the serpentine chain to S.W., till 

 three o'clock in the afternoon, when we again met 

 with a long reef, which forms the southern point, 

 and suddenly runs to the west. At this instant land 

 to the S. S. E. was heard from the mast-head, and I 

 found, on further examining the chain, continuing 

 my course to the N. W., that this long reef was 

 united at the N. W. with other islands. At six 

 o'clock, P. M., we reached the most westerly 

 island of the chain ; the length, without reckoning 

 its bendings, is forty miles to this point. Here the 

 land suddenly turned to the N. E., and vanished 

 in the N. As the sun was now setting, we were 

 obliged to leave off surveying for to-day, and 

 tacked during the night under few sails, to con- 

 tinue our work on the morrow. As soon as it 

 dawned, we perceived that the current had carried 

 us far from the land in the E., and brought us to 

 new islands in the west. 



On the ^^4th of April, the islands of yesterday 

 lay to the windward of us, and after tacking for 



