180 
A VOYAGE TO 
[North Coast. 
1803. found to drift to leeward with the tide, a stream anchor was dropped. 
Saturday l. There seemed to he two tides here in the day, setting nearly east 
and west, but the rise and fall were so imperceptible by the lead, 
that it could not be known which was the flood. 
The west wind died away at noon, and being succeeded by a 
sea breeze from the north-eastward, we steered for Limmen’s 
Bight so long as it lasted ; and then anchored in 4 fathoms, blue 
mud, with the island of Cape Maria bearing S. 56 0 to 86° E., ten 
or twelve miles. The main land was eight or nine miles oik, and 
visible all round the Bight and as far as N. 6’* W. ; it was low and 
woody, and an extensive shelving flat seemed to render it inaccessible 
to a ship. 
At seven in the evening, the land wind came off in a strong 
squall, with thunder, lightning, and rain ; afterwards the weather 
Sunday 2. cleared ; and at day light we followed the line of the coast to the 
northward. I wished to get as near to it as possible ; but the water 
shoaling to 2^- fathoms when six or seven miles off, we ran .out east, 
till it deepened to 4, and then steered north-eastward, parallel to the 
line of the shoal. A low rock came in sight to seaward, which I 
took to be the small island laid down to the north-east of Cape 
Maria, but it lies nearly north from it. At nine o’clock, when the 
main land was distant seven miles and the depth 6 fathoms, 
The low rock, distant 4 miles, bore - - S. 65^* E. 
Station hill near C. Maria, dist. 6 leagues, - S. E. 
A sloping part of the main, higher than the rest, N. 50 W. 
Extreme from the mast head, - North. 
Our latitude at noon was 14 0 2 6' 29", and longitude 135 0 54^ ; 
the main coast was seven miles off, and seen from the mast head as 
far as N. N. E. Three miles to the N. 8o° E. there were two dry 
sands, and shoal water extended from them to the north and south- 
ward, further than could be distinguished. We had already no more 
than 3 fathoms; but a sea breeze having set in at E. by S., unfavour- 
ably for going without side of the sands, we kept on close to the 
