272 FROM GUAHON TO ST. HELENA. 



S. W. 8°. Onr longitude, according to the cln'o- 

 nometers, was ^5T 52' 40". The wind was so 

 faint, that we approached the island but slowly. 

 We observed a strong current to S.E. ; and, not- 

 withstanding the dark, sailed, at eleven o'clock at 

 night, round the western side of the island, at a 

 distance of seven miles ; and, at midnight, when 

 it lay about eight miles to the north of us, we 

 cast anchor, as the passage between Pulo Leat 

 and the island of Banca, is dangerous in the night ; 

 the Eglantine was likewise obliged to cast anchor. 

 The depth was sixteen fathoms, over a bottom of 

 gray sand : the current ran to the S.E. one mile 

 and a half an hour. 



The 10th. At day -break we weighed anchor; the 

 wind blew fresh from N.W., but soon veered to the 

 W. ; at noon we had Gasper Strait behind us, and 

 sailed with a faint wind up to the Two Brothers. 

 I did not learn till afterwards, that a year be- 

 fore the English frigate, Alceste, on board which 

 Lord Amherst went as ambassador to China, was 

 wrecked on his voyage back on a hitherto un- 

 known shoal, which is said to lie in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Pulo Leat. We did not observe it ; 

 for as the northern part of Pulo Leat appeared 

 dangerous to me, I remained at a considerable 

 distance ; but we sailed so close by the western 

 point, that we could distinguish people on the 

 shore with the naked eye. 



