302 VOYAGE IN SEARCH 



the entrance, near the place from which a canoe 

 had put off, at the time of our arrival in the 

 Strait. 



On the 24th, at daybreak, we were quite clofe 

 to Paffage Ifland, and wc perceived on the Ba- 

 tanta coaft, a fmall village, whence came out a 

 few inhabitants, who appeared to view us with 

 much indifference. 



Pitt's Strait, the length of which is about five 

 myriamctcrs, from weft fouth-weft to caft north- 

 eait, is a myriameter in its mean width. When 

 we tried for foundings, we could not flrike 

 ground with a line of a hundred and twenty-five 

 fathoms ; but the boat which founded within 

 two hundred meters of the coafl, found bottom 

 at the depth of from fifteen to eighteen fathoms, 

 with calcareous rocky ground. 



We put about to avoid fome fhoals, which 

 lie at the outlet of the Strait, very near to the 

 Batanta coafl. Several pcrfons, however, were 

 of opinion, that there was a fufficient depth of 

 water for our fhips to go over them. 



The opening of the Strait on this fide is near 

 three myriamctcrs wide: we here remarked two 

 iflots very near the Batanta coaft. 



The wefl point of Salwatty we found to be in 

 the latitude of i 9 2.' to" fouth, and longitude of 

 12 8 ji'eaft. 



The 



