63 iCOOK’s VOYAGE, 
S. W. and feemed to end in a point, from which we difco- 
vered a reef running out to the northward as far as we could 
fee. We had hauled our wind to the wefhvard before it was 
light, and continued the courfe till we faw the breakers upon 
our lee bow. We now edged away N. W. and N. N. »W. 
along the ead fide of the fhoal, from two to one mile didant, 
having regular foundings from thirteen to feven fathem, w ith 
a fine fandy bottom. At noon, our latitude, by obfervation, 
was 20 : 26, which was thirteen miles to the northward of 
the log : we judged the extream point of the fiioal to bear from 
us about N. W. and the point from which it feemed to run 
out, bore S. \ W. diftant .twenty miles. This point I named 
Sandy Cape, from two very large patches of white fand 
which lay upon it. It is fuffibiently high to be feen at the dis- 
tance of twelve leagues, in clear weather, and lies in latirude 
24 : 45, longitude 206 151: the land trends from it S. W. 
as far as it can be feen. We kept along the ealt fide of the 
fhoal till two in the afternoon, when, judging that there was 
a fufficient depth of water upon it, to allow paflage for the 
fhip, I fient the boat a-head to found, and upon her making 
the iignal for more than five fathom, we hauled our wind, 
and ftood over the tail of it in fix fathom. At this time we 
were in latitude 24 : 22, and Sandy Cape bore S. \ E. dif- 
tant eight leagues; but the direftion on the fhoal is neared 
N. 1 M . W. and S. S. E. It it remarkable that when on board 
the fhip we had fix fathom, the boat, which was fcarcely a 
quarter of a mile to the fouthward, had little more than five, 
and that immediately after fix fathom we had thirteen, and 
then twenty, as fall as the man could cad the lead : from 
thefe circumdances, I conjectured that the wed fide of the 
dioal was deep. This fhoal I called the Break Sea Spit, 
becaufe we had now fmooth water, and to the fouthward of 
it we had always a high fea from the S. E. At fix in the 
evening, the land of Sandy Cape extended from S. 17 E. to 
S. 27 E. at he didance of eight leagues ; our depth of water 
was twenry-three fathom : with the fame foundings we dood 
to the wedward all night. At feven in the morning, we faw, 
from the maft head, the land of Sandy Cape bearing S. E. §• 
E. didant about thirteen leagues : at nine we difeovered land 
to the wedward, and foon after faw fmoke in feveral places. 
Our depth of water was now decreafed to feveoteen fathom, 
and by noon we had no more than thirteen, though we were 
feven leagues from the land, which extended from S. by W. to 
W. N. W. Our latitude at this time was 24 : 28 S. For a 
few days pad we had feen feveral of the fea birds called boo- 
bies, not having met with any of them before ; lad night a 
fmall flock of them palled the fliip, and went away to the 
N. W. and in the morning, from about half an hour before 
fun- 
