NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. 375 



nine or ten miles, the flioal diftant about a mile or a mile ^ ^^^ ^' 

 and a half, our depth of water at this time fifteen fa- v — ^~— » 

 thorns fandy bottom. The dry part of the fhoal appears Sunday. 

 to be about a quarter of a mile long, trending EafI: and ^^''^ *" 

 Weft; it feems narrow; but the coloured water appeared 

 two or three miles to run from the Eaft and Weft ends in 

 an Eaft and Weft direction. The ftioal I fuppofe to be en- 

 tirely covered at high water, I think a perfectly fafe paffage 

 may be made into thofe ftraits, by keeping the Banca 

 fhore on board, and pafling between it and this fhoal. 

 Indeed I would prefer it rather than run down on the Su- 

 matra fhore, where fhould the winds hang Eafterly, it may 

 prevent a iliip for fome time in entering the Straits. When 

 we had Monopin Hill bearing North North Eaft half 

 North, law a large town on Banca in the fame diredlion 

 elofe down to the fea-fide; at the fame time faw four large 

 proas coming towards this town from towards the Straits 

 of Malacca, and one going towards the Straits. At two 

 in the afternoon the tide began to run to the South Eaft 

 through the Straits at South, a light breeze from the North 

 Eaft with fmall rain, and Mount Monopin bore North 

 Weft half "Weft, feven or eight leagues diftance, and the 

 Northernmoft part of Banca in fight North Weft by Weft 

 half North, five leagues, and the Northernmoft part of Su- 

 matra in fight South Weft half Weft. The third point on 

 the Sumatra fhore bore South South Eaft half Eaft, three or 

 four leagues diftant; our diftance from the neareft part of 

 Banca three leagues ; the Queen Charlotte in company. Saw 

 a ftrange fail to the North Weft ftanding to the Southward. 

 At noon we had light winds from Weft by North, with 

 conftant rain, fteering South by Eaft, two miles per hour; 

 at the fame time the fecond point on the Sumatra fhore 



Weft 



