3i6 A V O Y A G E T O T H E ^ 



^ XIV ^' South point of Say pan. At this time our latitude, by ac- 

 *- — - — ' count, v/as 15° 16' North, and longitude, from obfervations 

 November, .brought forward, 213" 16' 30^^ Weft. The Eaft end of 

 un ay 4. ^iniau, according to captain Cook's chart, fhould then 

 have bore 55° 00' Weft thirty-feven miles, and the bearing we 

 then had of it was 58° 00^ Weft, and as near as I could guefs 

 diftant about thirty-three miles ; therefore I fhall con- 

 clude, that the fituation given thofe iilands by captain 

 Cook is very nearly the truth. We continued to ftand on 

 to the Weft North Weft half Weft, with a frefli gale from 

 the North Eaft by North until fix, when we altered the 

 courfe to Weft, and fet fteering-fails. We ftood in Weft 

 imtil' feven o'clock, then fteered South Weft by Weft and 

 South Weft by South, ranging along the Eaft fide of Say- 

 pan, at the diftance of about two leagues and a half. At 

 half paft eight, the paiTage between Saypan and Tinian 

 open, fteered for it, and about nine paffed clofe to the 

 South end of Saypan ; immediately to the Weftward of 

 which point is a good bay, with perfed: fmooth water and 

 a fine fandy beach, on which there was fcarce any furf. I 

 did not ftand into the bay, therefore cannot fpeak as to 

 the foundings; but I dare fay the anchorage may be very 

 good. A little to the Weftward of this bay is another, 

 which looks well for anchorage. In pafUng through this 

 paffage, which trends about Weft by North and Eaft by 

 South, diftance from one ifland to the other between two 

 and three leagues, we obferved no foul grounds lying off 

 from either ifland, until we got nearly through; then dif- 

 cerned a reef lying from the South Weft point of Saypan, 

 North Weft, diftant about half a mile. Indeed, all the Weft 

 fide of Sayphan appears to be bounded by a reef running 

 nearly the lame diftance from the fliore; and from the faid 



South 

 8 



