Indeed this part of
the country, from its appearance, did not seem capable of affording
them. Marks of its having been laid waste by the explosion of a
volcano, every where presented themselves; and though we had as yet
seen nothing like one upon the island, the devastation that it had
made in this neighbourhood, was visible to the naked eye.

This part of the coast is sheltered from the reigning winds, but we
could find no bottom to anchor upon, a line of an hundred and sixty
fathoms not reaching it, within the distance of half a mile from the
shore. The islanders having all left us, toward the evening, we ran
a few miles down the coast, and then spent the night standing off and
on.

The next morning, the natives visited us again, bringing with them the
same articles of commerce as before. Being now near the shore, I sent
Mr Bligh, the master, in a boat to sound the coast, with orders to
land, and to look for fresh water. Upon his return, he reported, that,
at two cables' lengths from the shore, he had found no soundings with
a line of one hundred and sixty fathoms; that, when he landed, he
found no stream or spring, but only rain-water, deposited in holes
upon the rocks, and even that was brackish from the spray of the sea,
and that the surface of the country was entirely composed of slags and
ashes, with a few plants interspersed. Between ten and eleven we
saw with pleasure the Discovery coming round the south point of the
island, and at one in the afternoon she joined us. Captain Clerke then
coming on board, informed me, that he had cruised four or five days
where we were separated, and then plied round the east side of the
island, but that, meeting with unfavourable winds, he had been carried
to some distance from the coast. He had one of the islanders on board
all this time, who had remained there from choice, and had refused to
quit the ship, though opportunities had offered.

Having spent the night standing off and on, we stood in again the next
morning, and when we were about a league from the shore, many of the
natives visited us. At noon, the observed latitude was 19 deg. 1', and the
longitude, by the time-keeper, was 203 deg. 26', the island extending from
S. 74 deg. E. to N. 13 deg. W., the nearest part two leagues distant.

At day-break on the 8th, we found that the currents, during the
night, which we spent in plying, had carried us back considerably to
windward; so that we were now off the S.W. point