THE PELEW .ISLANDS. 
99 
Monado was three days fail from Batavia ; that when he 
left Batavia they had three veflels or proas, that two of 
them parted company, and that the one he was on board 
of, going from Monado to Tern ate, was driven by a 
hard gale of wind hither, where they were wrecked. Our 
people fuppofed there was much falfhood in this fellow’s 
account, and, from converfations their own linguifi: had 
with him, they f\ifpe£ted thefe people had been Malay pi- 
?*ates, which they afterwards had confirmed, by one of them 
who was brought to England .—-In the afternoon Mr. Cum¬ 
min was fent in the jolly-boat, to try for the pafiage through 
the reef which was thought to have been difcovered the day 
before, from the look-out above the tents. Captain Wilson 
took up fome men, and cleared ftiil more the fpot intended for 
an obfervatory.—The jolly-boat returned, after having been 
without the reef through a narrow pafiage, in which they 
found at low-water three feet and a half of water, and, as it 
rofe eight or nine feet upon a fpring-tide, it was judged 
there mull be at thofe times twelve feet of w^ater, which 
would be almofl double the draught of the Schooner when 
finilhed.—This was an information which revived every 
one’s hopes, and made all our people look forward with 
frefh fpirits. Intelligence was alfo brought, that they had 
found feven fathom water immediately without the reef, 
and three fathom within in the fhoalefi: part, which was a 
narrow bank of fand that formed a bar.-—Thefe obfervations 
O 2 , 
*783- 
UOUST 
were 
