374 



CHAP. 



XVI. 



1788. 



February 

 Friday 29. 



Saturday. 

 March I. 



A VOYAGE TO THE 



illands lying off the North end of Banca Eaft half North, 

 fix or feven leagues. We had foundings in twenty-one fa- 

 thoms, dark grey fand. Saw a flrange fail to the Northward 

 ftanding to the Southward ; fuddenly (hoaled our water to 

 thirteen fathoms, ftanding to the North Weft, and at half 

 paft nine fuddenly fhoaled the water to feven and a half, 

 foft muddy bottom. This fhoal water I fuppofed to be the 

 Frederic Hendric fhoal, or a fhoal laid down in Hamilton 

 Moore's account, lying near the Sumatra fhore. 



A FINE breeze from the North Weft, with rather fqually 

 weather and fome fliowers of rain, fteering from Eaft by- 

 South to Eaft by North, four knots per hour along the 

 Banca coaft, at the diftance of about four miles from the 

 fhore. At half paft twelve, we fhoaled our water to feven fa- 

 thoms, and there being an appearance of a bank lying to 

 the Southward of us, hauled up Eaft by North, and juft 

 run along its edge in fix and a half and feven fathoms 

 water, this appearance of a bank on our ftarboard hand, 

 and the fhore of Banca on our larboard, the Banca fhore 

 diftant about four miles, and the bank diftant a quarter 

 of a mile. Soon after hauling nearer the Banca fhore, we 

 deepened our water to fifteen fathoms, and then edged 

 away again to the South by Eaft. About one I got fight 

 of fome rocks and a dry white fand-bank, bearing about 

 Eaft by South half South ; we hauled to the Eaft by 

 North, and paffed between Banca and this fhoal, in never 

 lefs than feven fathoms water over a fandy bottom. At 

 half paft one Mount Monopin bore North Weft by North, 

 and near about the middle of the fhoal South Eaft by 

 South, our diftance from the Mount about five leagues I 

 judged, and from the fea-fhore under the Mount about 

 8 nine 



