OF LA PEROUSE. 417 



an iflot four myriameters diftant from the coaft ; 

 it was connected to a ledge of reefs, which ex- 

 tended upwards of a kilometer to the eaftward. 

 Our depth of water was then ten fathoms and a 

 half, and fome little time after a line of twenty- 

 one fathoms did not reach the bottom. 



A calm prevailed for a few moments towards 

 the clofe of the day; but prefently a light air 

 from the fouth-eaft enabled us to haul to the 

 fouth-wefl, which courfe we kept for the night. 



On heaving the lead every hour, our found- 

 ings were from twenty- five to thirty-three fa- 

 thoms water, with a bottom of fand refembling 

 quartz, mixed with broken fhells and madrepora. 



At daylight on the 12th we made fail, fleer- 

 ing eaft, with a frefh breeze from the weft north- 

 weft. 



From fix o'clock in the morning the mercury 

 in the barometer had experienced a fall of more 

 than three lines. Although the weather was 

 very fine, this certain indication of a great lots 

 in the equilibrium of the atmofphere merited the 

 moft ferious attention. We neverthelefs ftood on 

 before the wind into the middle of fome iflots 

 lying about a myriameter from the coaft, al- 

 though we were very uncertain of finding a paf- 

 fage between thofe which we perceived a great way 

 ahead. By ten o'clock we had run pretty far in 

 among them, when we faw that they were linked 



vol. 1. e e together 



