442 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
1820 . which vessel, on his arrival at Port Jackson from 
OctTi4. China last year, published an account in the 
Sydney Gazette of his having seen them at a 
distance. Had he been certain of the fact, he 
would not have hesitated to approach sufficiently 
near them to have made all on board sensible of 
their existence ; but it appears that the greater 
part, if not the whole, of the crew were so ob- 
stinate, that they either would not, or could 
not, see them. 
Were the tracks of every vessel that has 
passed over this part laid down, I think there 
would remain very little belief of their exist- 
ence ; in my own opinion I am convinced that 
there is no danger of the sort between the coast 
of New Holland and the meridian of 102° east 
longitude. The Dutch account records this dan- 
ger to be forty miles in extent from east to west, 
and fifteen miles in breadth ; and the Danish ac- 
count describes it to extend for twenty-four miles 
from north-east to south-west. Was there a dan- 
ger of so considerable an extent in existence in 
the direct track of outward-bound China-ships, 
it is hardly possible to conceive it could be passed 
without having been repeatedly seen. 
The existence of Cloates Island also, of which 
there are so many undeniable and particular de- 
scriptions, has been for a long time questioned by 
