i68 A V O Y A G E T O T HE 



^ vin ^' ^^"^ ^^^^^ '^'^^ immediately let go the fmall bower, and 



« — < • brought up for the night. The Queen Charlotte having 



December, v/cighed, and ftandiug out of the bay, we made the fignal 

 to anchor, on which fhe flretched in the bay, and came- 

 Wednef. 20. to clofc by US. At daylight the next morning we warped 

 to the buoy of the beffc bower, and weighed the anchor, 

 and at the fame time weighed the fmall bower and got 

 under fail with a light breeze from the North Eaft. 



The old prieft was ftill on board along with my new 

 paffengers, and we were followed by feveral canoes ; but 

 towards noon the friendly old man took his leave, and I 

 made him a prefent, with which he was highly pleafed ; 

 he then went on board the. Queen Charlotte, totake leave 

 of captain Dixon, and foon afterwards left the fhips, ac- 

 companied by the other canoes, and paddled for the fhore. 

 At noon the extremes of Woahoo bore Weft by North 

 half North, and North Eaft half North, diftant from the 

 neareft part of the iflahd about three leagues. On getting 

 in the bower-cable that had parted, we found it a good 

 deal rubbed by the coral fand, of which the bottom where 

 we anchored is chiefly compofed ; and on examining the 

 place where it parted, I was of opinion that it had been 

 cut with a knife, until the .cable was opened, when I 

 found all the yarns cut in the fame manner, and no doubt 

 by rubbing on the coral fand. 



The beft fituation for anchoring in King George's Bay 

 is near the ; middle of it, and about a mile from the reef; 

 where there are fix and ievtn fathoms water, over a bottom 

 of dark fand entirely free from coral ; but as the inconve- 

 nience 



