The Islands of Direction. 123 
accident, to which an almoft continual temped: expofed us, 
they fliould not hold, we mud in a few minutes inevitably pe- 
rifh. But now, after having failed no lefs than three hundred 
and lixty leagues, without once having a man out of the chains, 
heaving the lead, even for a Minute, which perhaps never 
happened to any other veflel, we found ourfelves in an open 
fea, with deep water ; and enjoyed a dow of fpirits which wa9 
equally owing to our late dangers, and our prefent fecurity ; 
yet the very waves, which by their dwell convinced us that we 
had no rocks cr Ihoals to fear, convinced us alfo that we could 
not fafely put the fame confidence in our vefiel as before die 
had druck ; for the blows die received from them fo widened 
her leaks, that (he admitted no lefs than nine inches water in 
an hour, which, confidering the Hate of our pumps, and the 
navigation that was dill before us, would have been a fubjetl 
of more ferious confideration, to people whofe danger had not 
fo lately been fo much more imminent. 
The paiTage or channel, through which we paded into the 
open fea beyond the reef, lies in latitude 14 0 32' S. and may 
always be known by the three high illands within it, which 
I have called the Islands of Direction, becaufe by thefe 
a ftranger may find a fafe paiTage though the reef quite to the 
main. The channel lies from Lizard Ifland N. E. 5- N. dis- 
tant three leagues, and is about one third of a mile broad, 
and not Lore in length. Lizard Iiland which is, as I have 
before obferved, the largeft and the northermoft of the three, 
affords fafe anchorage under the north weft fide, freih water, 
and wood for fuel. The low iflands and fhoals alfo which lie 
between it and the main abound with turtle and fifh, which 
may probably be caught in all feafons of the year, except when 
the weather is very tempeftuous ; fo that, all tilings confidered, 
there is not perhaps a better place for flips to refreih at upon 
the whole coaft than this ifland. And before I difmifs it, I 
mull obferve, that we found upon it, as well as upon the 
beach, in and about Endeavour River, bamboos, cocoa nuts, 
pumice ftone, and the feeds of plants which are not the produce 
of this country, and which it is reafonable to fuppofe are 
brought from the eaftward by the trade winds. The iflands 
which were difcovered by Quiros, and called Auftralia del 
Efpiritu Santa, lie in this parallel ; but how far to the eaftward 
cannot now be afcertained : in moft charts they are placed in 
the fame longitude with this country, which, as appears by 
the account of his voyage that has been publifhed, he never 
faw ; for that places his difcoveries no lefs than two and 
twenty degrees to the eaftward of it. 
As foon as we were without the reef, we brought to, and 
having hoilledin the boats, we flood off and on upon a wind 
L 2 -ail 
