276 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICA.L 
1819. At nine o’clock, having weighed at daylight, 
Sept! 5 . we reached within three miles of Tree Point, 
when the ebb tide commenced, and obliged our 
anchoring to wait the turn of tide, in order to ex- 
amine an opening that trended deeply in to the 
southward. Accordingly, when the flood made, 
we got under weigh, and entered the opening 
without encountering any difficulties, or being 
impeded by shoals. The deepest channel is 
about two-thirds over on the eastern side, m 
which we sounded on a muddy bottom, in be- 
tween nine and five fathoms ; after having passed 
the narrowest part, we hauled over to the western 
shore, in the hope of finding anchorage out of the 
strength of the tide, but it was with great diffi- 
culty, and not until darkness compelled us, that 
we let go the anchor, upon what appeared to be a 
hard stony bottom, in five fathoms. 
The tide then turned to the ebb, and com- 
menced running out so rapidly, that we were 
under apprehensions of the vessel being left dry ; 
but, at low water, which took place at Ih. 20 m. 
6 . a.m., although the tide had fallen twenty-two 
feet, it left nine feet, which depth was just suf- 
ficient to float the vessel. Upon stirring up the 
bottom with an oar, it was found to be of stiff 
clay, plentifully sprinkled with small iron-stone 
gravel; it proved, however, to be of much better 
