178 SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPIC AL 
able weather ; but we were enabled to make 
some useful observations upon the coast-line, as 
far as the next point to the southward of Smoky 
Cape ; when night obliged us to steer more off 
shore. 
The country behind the beach was lined with 
natives’ fires, which were kindled as we passed 
to attract our notice. To the southward of Smoky 
Cape the land is very low and, probably, occu- 
pied by large lagoons. 
The next evening, Mount Warning was seen 
from the deck, although we were at least seventy- 
eight miles from it. 
On the 23d, at noon, our latitude was 28° 9 5 , 
when the Mount bore S. 58° W. (Magnetic.) 
At sunset the wind died away ; and, from the 
land in the vicinity of the mountain indicating 
every appearance of the existence of either a 
large sheet of water or an opening of conse- 
quence, I was induced to remain two days to 
examine the beach more narrowly ; but, after 
beating about with a strong south-easterly current 
which prevented my tracing the beach to the 
northward of the Mount, and having only seen an 
inconsiderable opening that communicates by a 
shoal channel with a small lagoon at the back of 
the beach, I gave up the search ; still without sa- 
tisfying myself of the non-existence of an inlet, 
