34 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1818. 
Feb. 23. 
The following day was spent in examining a 
bight, but we were prevented from penetrating 
to the bottom by the shoalness of the water. We 
were, however, near enough to see large sheets 
of water over the mangrove belt that lined 
the shore, in which many openings were ob- 
served that communicated with it. Beyond the 
lakes was a range of rocky hills, that bounded 
our mast-head view. The bight is fronted by a 
crowded range of sandy islets, from which we 
did not extricate ourselves until the next day. 
Having passed out between two sandy islets, 
our course was held to the northward, outside of 
a range of islets, and parallel to the main land ; 
which was soon afterwards lost to view by trending 
to the eastward. At one o’clock, we passed round 
a larger and a more elevated island, as well as 
of a more rocky character than those to the south- 
ward ; and then steered to the eastward, towards 
the next projecting point of the main, named after 
my friend Richard Preston, esq., on our way 
to which we left a small island about one mile 
to the northward of our track. In the evening, 
we steered close round Cape Preston, but were 
disappointed in an attempt to find anchorage 
near it, from the rocky state of the bottom, so 
that the night was passed under sail, which, 
considering the number of low islets scattered 
