340 
A VOYAGE TO 
[North Coast. 
1803 . channel, where no obstruction appeared ; but a bank, probably not 
October. . . „ , 
Saturday^, of coral, was found to run across, and in passing over it we had g, 
i~, 2, 3, B fathoms, and in five minutes 22 on a soft bottom. A 
swell was then perceived coming from E. S. E., which showed that 
the weather reefs also there terminated ; it even implied that the 
waves had no obstruction for many miles, probably as far as the 
great outer reef seen by the Pandora. 
Half-way Island came in sight as soon as the middle channel 
was cleared, and we steered west, carrying all sail to reach it before 
dark. In passing round the north end of its reef at sunset, we had 
i8 fathoms, and presently anchored in 20, with the centre of the 
island bearing S. by E. |-E. one mile, and the reef from E. |-S. to' 
Sunday 23. S. W. by S. Next morning at daylight, Mr. Aken went on shore 
to bring oft' some shells of the large cockle ( charna gigas ), which the 
Indians place under the pandanus trees to catch water, and on his 
return at eight o'clock, we resumed our course to the south-west- 
ward, passing between some dry sands before seen in the Investi- 
gator. I then kept up more southward to fetch the York Isles, and 
this took us between two other sands surrounded with small reefs. 
There were many birds, and a pole was standing up on the northern 
bank ; and the wind becoming very light, an anchor was dropped 
in 14, fathoms under the west side, and I went on shore. 
This bank or key was very little above high water ; but a 
young pandanus had been planted on the top and surrounded with a 
circle of stones, apparently to protect it from the turtle, whose tracks 
were, fresh on the sand. It appeared from thence, that the Indians 
come here at times ; and this tree had been planted with a view, most 
probably, to obtain fresh water by the same means as at Half-way 
Island. The latitude of the bank, according to Mr. Aken’s meridian 
observation, is io° 18' sputh, longitude by the time keeper 143 0 6' 
east, and there is a similar bank lying two or three miles to the 
southward, 
On my return the south-east trade had freshened up, and we 
