154 COOK’s VOUGI. 
To the the northward of Whitfun day’s PafTage there is ho 
large inlet, confequently the flood fets to the northward, o t 
north weftward, according to the diredtion of the coalt, and 
the ebb to the fouth, or fouth eaftward, at leaft fuch is their 
courfe at a little diftance from the land, for very near it they 
will be influenced by fmall inlets. I alfo obferved, that we! 
had only one high tide in twenty-four hours, which happen- 
ed in the night. The difference between the perpendicular 
rife of the water in the day and the night* when there is a 
fpring-tide, is no lefs than three feet, which, where the tides 
are fo inconfidcrable as they are here, is a great proportion 
of the whole difference between high and low water. This ir- 
regularity of the tides, whichJs worthy of notice, we did not 
difcover till v»e were run afhore, and perhaps farth er to the 
northward it is ftili greater : after we got within the reef the 
fecond time, we found the tides more conflderable than we! 
had ever done before, except in the Bay of Inlets, and pof- 
fibly this may be owing to the water being more confined be- 
tween the fhoals ; here alfo the flood fets to the north weft, and 
continues in the fame diredtion to the extremity of New Wales, 
from whence its diredtion is weft, and fouth weft, into the 
Indian fea. 
CHAP. IX. 
The Pajfage from New South Wales to New Guinea, with an 
Account of what happened upon Landing there. 
I N the afternoon of Thurfday Auguft the 23d, after leaving 
Booby Ifland, we fteered W. N. W. with light airs front 
the S. S. W. till fitfe' o’clock, when it fell calm, and the tide 
of ebb foon after fetting to the N. E. we came to an anchor in 
ei^it fathom water, with a foft fandy bottom. Booby Ifland 
bore S. 50 E. diftant five miles, and the Prince of Wales’s 
Ifles extended from the N. E. by N. to S. 55 E. ; between 
thefe there appeared to be a clear open paffage, extending from 
N. 46 E. to E. by N. '4 
At half an hour after five, in the morning of the 24th, as 
we were purchafing the anchor, the cable parted at about 
eight or ten fathom from the ring : the fhip then began to 
drive, but I immediately dropped another anchor, which 
brought her up before fhe got more than a cable’s length front 
the buoy ; the boats were then fent to fweep for the anchor, 
but could not fucceed. At noon, our latitude, by obfervation, 
was io° 30' S. As I was refolved not to leave the anchor be- 
hind, while their remained a pofiibility of recovering it, I fent 
