1807.] 
with woods, have a great variety in their 
fhapes, and-indented on all fides with 
pleafant litttle bays and fandy coves, 
where the fineft turtle is found in. great 
plenty. The patlage between  thefe 
tilands is im fome places {fo narrow 
that we might have almoft chucked a bif- 
cuit on fhore ; yet the water was deep, 
clear, and fmoath as velvet. There can 
{carcely be a more beautiful picture, than 
the fight of a fleet of fhips winding 
through this romantic group of lands. 
The natives came off in their canoes 
Jaden with turtle, fome of which weighed 
three er four hundred pounds, and thete 
they fold for a dollar or two a-piece ; we 
of courte had alderman’s fare every day 
while we continued in thefe firaits. 
At length having got the thips all to- 
gether (on the 22d), we. hurried away, 
feaving that the north-eaft monfoon 
might { fet in, or at leaft that we might 
be bafiled between the two monfoons. 
The next day pafled tp the northward 
of Pedra Branca, a rock lying off point 
Romania, and fo called by the Portu- 
euefe, on account of its being covered 
with the white excrements of birds; it 
has fome refemblance to the Bafs,rock in 
the Firth or Forth. Here the Chinefe 
feas commence, and fhips generally take 
a departure from this rock, or point 
Romania, when proceeding to China. 
Next day (twenty-fourth of September), 
pafled Pulo Aore and Pulo Timon, two 
ilands lying in 101° of eaft longitude, 
and of contiderable height ; at this place 
we expected to fall in with “Linois, when 
we would have furprized him a little with. 
the foree we now had (a feventy-four, a 
fifty-gun fhip, two frigates, and a floop 
of war): as there were no appearances, 
however, of an enemy, the line of battle 
flup here took leave of us, and returned 
to India. 
‘We this day loft fight of land, and 
fteered for China with a pleafant breeze 
and compact convoy ; the weather con- 
tinued uncommonly fine for the next five’ 
days, when we made Pulo, Sapata, a 
very fingular rock ftanding up hke a pillar 
in the middle of the Chinefe feas; it is 
perpendicular all round, and white like 
Dover cliffs, with innumerable flocks of 
birds hovering round it, 
placed tere by Providertce as a mark to 
guide mariners through thofe feas, where 
fo many hidden dangers abound. 
Ilitherto we had been failing on velvet, 
and with winds much more favonrable 
than we had reafon to expect at this late 
period of the fouth-welt monfoon; the 
country) were {o open, 
and feems as if . 
Journal of a Voyage tn the Indian Seas. ‘837 
feene, however, now began to flift, 
and our mifery to commence. 
On the 2d of October, the tky affumed a 
very unufual appearance; the fkirts ofthe 
horizon ee as ae they were tinved 
with blood; the black portentous clouds 
that hung over us, looked as if furchar- 
ged with eleétric fluid, and ready every 
inttant to burit on our heads ! 
In the evening the lightning ¢leamed 
with fach vivid flathes through the air, 
that it was painful to look around ; {till, 
however unaccompanied with thunder. 
The rain now began to pour down iv fuck 
torrents, that it actually appeared to be 
prec ipitated from the heavens en muffe, 
deluving every part of the thip:— 
*¢ Mean time in fable cinéture, fhadows vat, 
Deep ting’dand damp, and Ue aa ton clouds, 
And all the vapory turbulence of heaven, 
Involve the face of things.” 
Tt had now continued calm for fome 
hours, but foon the gale commenced ; 
and lafted, with onion interruptions ahd 
various diterations, for four fucceflive 
days. The wind was firft from the weft- 
ward, but in the courfe of the typhoon it 
fen" from every point of the compats } 
As it was, however, generally in our 
favour, we foudded great part of the time, 
and ar courle made a ioft rapid pro- 
erefs, 
It is impofhible to defcribe the unplea- 
fantnefs (I may fay mifery) of our fitua~ 
tion during this period. The firlt twenty 
four hours of the gale demolifhed tables, 
* chairs, crockery-ware, and almolt every 
cooking utenfil we had on board, fo that 
we could fearce get as much fuitenance 
as would keep foul and body together! 
To add to our coniforts, we - hiad gene- 
rally a quantity of water wafhing about 
our legs in the gun-room; while the 
feams of the fhip (coming frea a hot 
that the water 
came pouring down through the decks on 
our heads ! 
The frequent fhifting of the wind rai- 
fed fuch a crofs tumultuous fea, that it 
broke over us in all direétions, ¢ cauting 
the fhip to labour with undefcribable vio- 
lence— 
‘¢ Through the black night that fits immenfe 
around, 
Lath’d into foam, the fierce conflicting brine 
Seems oer a thoufand raging waves to burn! 
Mean-time the mountain billows to the clouds 
In dreadful tumult fwell’d, furge above furge, 
Burft into chaos with tremendous roar!” 
On the 4th, we experienced a confider- 
able intermiffion of the gale, and to- 
wards 
