240 
A VOYAGE TO 
[ North Coast 
1803. 
February. 
Saturday 26. 
Sunday 27. 
Monday 28 
north end of Bosanquet’s Island, occupied me the next day ; astro- 
nomical observations were also taken ; and it appeared that the cliffy 
east end of Bosanquet’s Island, a mile north of the anchorage, was 
in ii° 57V south, and 136° 19' east. According to the swinging of 
the ship in the evenings, the flood tide ceased to run at eight hours 
and a half after the moon passed the upper meridian, whereas in the 
mornings it ceased seven hours and a half after the moon passed 
below ; whether the same difference took place in the times of high 
water by the shore, I cannot tell ; but if the mean of the morning s 
and evening’s tides be taken as the time of high water, it will fol- 
low eight hours after the moon, the same nearly as in Malay Road. 
In the morning of the 27th, we steered south-westward be- 
tween Inglis’ Island and the main, to explore the opening on the 
west side of Mallison’s Island. The tide, which was in our favour, 
so stirred up the soft mud, that we did not perceive a shoal until 
from the depth diminished to 2^ fathoms, and the ship stuck fast. 
This was at less than a mile from the north-east head of Inglis’ 
Island, yet the deepest water lay within; and towards noon, by car- 
rying out a stream anchor, we got there into 10 fathoms, without 
; having suffered any apparent injury. On the approach of low water 
next morning, we resumed our course, keeping nearly mid-way be- 
tween the main coast and the island, with soundings from 13 to 7 
fathoms, muddy ground; the shores are above two miles asunder, 
but the reefs from each side occupy more than half of the open space. 
On clearing the south end of the passage, the boat a-head made 
signal for 4 fathoms, and we tacked, but afterwards followed till 
noon; heavy rain then came on, and the wind dying away , an anchor 
was dropped in 6 fathoms. 
There was a rippling not far from the ship, and the master 
found it to be on a narrow shoal extending north and south, which 
seems to have been formed in the eddy of the tides. We got under 
way, on a breeze from N. W. bringing finer weather ; and at two 
o’clock passed over the shoal with soundings twice in 3 fathoms, 
