TO RADACK. 19 



unknown island, we sailed slowly and with precau- 

 tion, and often threw out the lead that w^e might 

 not run aground. Immediately after w^e left Ru- 

 rick's Strait, the depth was from 26 to 27 fathoms, 

 over a ground of living coral ; but as we ap- 

 proached the island it regularly decreased, and at a 

 distance of two miles we found it 18 fathoms. The 

 ground, which sometimes consisted of fine coral 

 sand, induced us to hope that we should find a 

 good anchoring place near the island, and Lieute- 

 nant Schischmareff, who had gone on before with 

 the boat, soon made us a signal, that he had found 

 ten fathoms' depth over fine coral sand, upon which 

 we directed our course thither. * In the N, lay, 

 at a distance of 2G0 fathoms, the reef which united 

 the third with the fourth island. At the same dis- 

 tance we were protected to the E. by a coral reef, 

 visible at low water, and we lay in quite smooth 

 water, which was not agitated in this place, even 

 during the most violent wind. Our view was for 

 the present confined in the E. to the chain of 

 islands ; in the W. we saw the reef, round the out- 

 side of which we had sailed ; in the S. we had the 

 clear horizon before us : even from the mast-head, 

 the reef through which we had sailed could not be 

 discovered, and only the small high island which I 



* On the chart drawn by us here, our anchorage, and the 

 situation of the islands, are distinctly marked. Vide Plan of the 

 group of islands RomanzofF. 



c 2 



