THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
459 
of the two iflands affords a fafe and commodious harbour, 
the entrance into which is from the North Weft. The 
diftance between the two oppofite coafts is three quarters 
of a mile, exclufive of a border of coral rock, which runs 
down along each fide, extending about one hundred yards 
from the fhore. The anchorage is very good, from eleven 
to five fathoms water, but the bottom is fo foft and clayey, 
that we found great difficulty in weighing our anchors. 
Toward the bottom of the harbour there is fhallow water 
for about half a mile, beyond which the two iflands ap¬ 
proach fo near each other, as to leave only a paffage at 
high water for boats. The moft convenient place for wa¬ 
tering is at a beach on the Eaftern fide, where there is a 
fmall ftream which furnifhed us with fourteen or fifteen 
tons of water a day. 
This ifland, both with refpetft to animal and vegetable 
productions, is confiderably improved fince the time when 
Dampier vifited it. Neither that writer, nor the compiler 
of the Eaft India Directory, make mention of any other 
quadrupeds than hogs, which are faid to be very fcarce, 
lizards, and the guanoes; and the latter, on the authority 
of Monfieur Dedier, a French engineer, who furveyed the 
ifland about the year 1720, fays, that none of the fruits 
and efculent plants, fo common in the other parts of India, 
are to be found here, except water-melons, a few potatoes, . 
fmall gourds, chibbols (a fmall fpecies of onion), and little 
black beans. At prefent, befides the buffaloes, of which 
we underftood there were feveral large herds, we purchafed 
from the natives fome remarkably fine fat hogs, of the 
Chinefe breed. They brought us three or four of a wild 
fort; and our fportfmen reported, that they frequently met 
3 N 2 with. 
1780. 
January. 
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