78 AN ACCOUNT OF THE 



an Englijk fcttlement, we, as yet^ had but a very im- 

 perfect knowledge of the inhabitants. An attempt had 

 been made, between forty and fifty years paft, to make 

 a lettleracnt among them, and to introduce the culti- 

 vation of pepper, but this delign was frullrated, by 

 the improper condu6f of the peribn to whom the ma- 

 nagement of the bufmefs was entrufted. The imperfe(5t 

 account which was given of the people by the perfon 

 appointed to go to the iflands on behalf of the India 

 Company, and another, not more fatisfadfory, by Cap- 

 tain Forest, are inferted in Mr. Dalrymple's India 

 DirecShory ; and, as far as I knew, thefe accounts con- 

 jftituted the whole of our knowledge of thefe iflands. 



The NaJJliu or ^oggy iflands form part of a chain of 

 iflands which lie off the whole length of the WeflCoafc 

 of ^iiniaira, at the diltance of twenty to thirty leagues ; 

 ihe northern extremity of the northern Poggy lies in la- 

 titude 2° 18' S, and the font hern extremity of the 

 fouthern ifland in latitude 3° l6' S. The two are fepa- 

 rated from each other by a very narrow pafrafi:e called 

 the ftrait of See Cochup, in latitude 1° 40' S. and lon- 

 gitude about 100° 38' Eaft from Greenwich. 



I LEFT Fort Marlhorongh the 12th of Augufi, 1792, 

 in a fmail veliel, and made the fouthern ^oggy on the 

 morning of the 14th ; coafting along which we reach- 

 ed the (Iraits oi S,ee Cockup, where we came to an an- 

 chor at one o'clock the fame day. 



These llraits are about two miles in length, and a 

 quarter of a mile over : they make very fafe riding for 

 Ihips of any fize, which lie pcrfedlly fecure from every 

 wind, the water being literally as fmooth as in 

 a pond. The chief defcd:, as an harbour, is the 

 great depth of water^ there being twenty-hve fa- 

 ttiora clofc iix Ihore, and forty- five iatliom in the mid 



channel. 



