They Approach the Land. 157 
It proved to be exaftly the fame bird which Dampier has oef- 
cribed, and of which he has given a ruae figure, by the name 
of a Noddy from New Holland. [See his Voyages, vol. iii. 
p. 98. Tab. of Birds, Fig. 5.] 
We continued Handing to the northward with a frefh gale at 
E. by E. and S. E. till fix in the evening, having very irregular 
foundings, the depth changing at once from twenty-four 
fathom to feven. A t four, we had feen the land fromthe maft- 
head, bearing N. W. by N. ; it appeared to be ver*ow, and 
to ftretch from W. N. W. to N. N. E. diftant four or five 
leagues. We now hauled clofeupon a wind till feven, then 
tacked and llood to the fouthward till twelve, at which time 
we wore and Hood to the northward till four in the morning, 
then laid the head of the vciTel off till day-iigtit, when we 
again faw the land, and Hood in N. N. W. direfUy for it, 
with a frefh gale at E. by S. Our foundings during the night 
were very irregular from feven to five fathom, fuddenly chang- 
ing from deep to fhallow, and from fhailow to deep, without 
in the leaft correfponding with our'diftance from the land. At 
half an hour after fix in the morning a final! low HI and which 
lay at the diitance of about a league from the main, here N. 
by W. diftant five miles : this ifland lies in latitude 8° 13* S. 
longitude 22 1° 25' W. ; and I find it laid down in the chart 
bv the names of Bartholomew and Whermoyfen. We now 
fleered N. W. by W. W. N. W. W. by N. W. by S. and S. 
W. by W. as we found the land lie, with from 5 to 9 fathom, 
and though we reckoned we were not more than four leagues 
from it, yet it was fo low and level that we could but juft fee it 
from the deck. It appeared however to be well covered with 
wood, and among other trees, we thought we could diiiinguifli 
the cocoa-nut. We faw fmoke in feveral places, and therefore 
knew there were inhabitants. At noon we were about three 
leagues from the land ; the weilermoft part of which that was 
in fight bore S. 79° W. Our latitude by obfervation was V 
19' S. and longitude 221 0 44.' W. The ifland of St. Bartholo- 
mew bore N. 74 E. diftant 20 miles. 
After fleering S. W. by W. fix miles, we had Ihoa! water en 
our ftarboard bow, which 1 lent the yawl to found, and at the 
fame time hauled off upon a wind till four o’clock, and though 
during that time we had run fix miles, we had not deepened 
our water an inch. I then edged away S. W. four miles more , 
but finding it Hill lhoal water, I brought to and called the 
boats aboard. At this time, being between three and four 
leagues from the (here, and the yawl having found-only three 
fathom water in the place to which I had fent her to found, 1 
hauled off clofe upon a wind, and weathered . the fftoal about 
half a mile. 
Between one and two o’clock, we palled a bav cr inlet be- 
Vol. II. O ' foie 
