Towards Wreck Reef.] TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
327 
progress. It afterwards veered round to the north-east, and pre- isos- 
. „ September. 
vented us from fetching more than ten miles to the east of the reef Saturday 24 . 
by Mr. Inman’s time keeper, when we came into the proper latitude, piucx,) 
We bore away for it, however, on Oct. 1, and ran more than a de- October, 
gree to the west ; when finding no reef or bank, it appeared that we Sdtunlay ! 
must have been something to the west of Wreck Reef when the 
time keeper showed ten miles to the eastward. This obliged us to 
work back again, and it was not till the 7th that we got sight of the Friday 7. 
ensign upon the top of the bank.* 
It was six weeks on this day that I had quitted the reef in the 
boat, lor the purpose of seeking the means to relieve my officers and 
people. The bank was first seen from the Rolla’s mast head, and 
soon afterward two boats were perceived under sail ; and advancing 
nearer, we saw one boat make for the Rolla and the other returning 
to the bank. The Porpoise had not yet gone to pieces; but was 
still lying on her beam ends, high up on the reef, a frail, but impres- 
sive monument of our misfortune. 
In the afternoon I anchored under the lee of the bank, in 18 
fathoms coral sand, and a salute of eleven guns from it was imme- 
diately fired, the carronades of the Porpoise having been transported 
from the wreck. On landing, I was greeted with three hearty cheers, 
and the utmost joy by my officers and people ; and the pleasure of 
rejoining my companions so amply provided with the means of re- 
lieving their distress, made this one of the happiest moments of 
my life. 
* The want of my journal has prevented me from stating any particulars of this pas- 
sage very correctly ; but 1 have lately obtained a sight of Mr. Inman’s observations, and 
it appears from them that his time keeper (Kendal’s No. 45) erred 31' to the cast on Oct. 
1, and that on the 2d a. m. our corrected longitude was 153° 52'. We ran westward till 
that evening, and must therefore have gone to about 153° 25', or 1° 54' west of Wreck- 
Reef Bank ; and as no dangers were sc.cn, this shows how completely the Reef is separ- 
ated from the great Barrier of the coast ; a point which it is of some importance to have 
ascertained. 
