of the island. There
we brought-to, in order to give the natives an opportunity of trading
with us. At noon our observed latitude was 19 deg. 1', and our longitude,
by the time-keeper, was 203 deg. 13', the S.W. point of the island N. 30 deg.
E., two miles distant.

We spent the night as usual, standing off and on. It happened, that
four men and ten women who had come on board the preceding day, still
remained with us. As I did not like the company of the latter, I stood
in shore towards noon, principally with a view to get them out of the
ship; and some canoes coming off, I took that opportunity of sending
away our guests.

We had light airs from N.W. and S.W., and calms, till eleven in the
morning of the 10th, when the wind freshened at W.N.W., which, with a
strong current setting to the S.E., so much retarded us, that, in the
evening, between seven and eight o'clock, the S. point of the island
bore N. 10-1/2 deg. W., four leagues distant. The south snowy hill now
bore N. 1-1/2 deg. E.

At four in the morning of the 11th, the wind having fixed at W., I
stood in for the land, in order to get some refreshments. As we drew
near the shore, the natives began to come off. We lay to, or stood on
and off, trading with them all the day, but got a very scanty supply
at last. Many canoes visited us, whose people had not a single thing
to barter, which convinced us, that this part of the island must be
very poor, and that we had already got all that they could spare. We
spent the 12th plying off and on, with a fresh gale at W. A mile from
the shore and to the N.E. of the S. point of the island, having tried
soundings, we found ground at fifty-five fathoms depth, the bottom a
fine sand. At five in the evening, we stood to the S.W., with the wind
at W.N.W., and soon after midnight we had a calm.

At eight o'clock next morning, having got a small breeze at S.S.E., we
steered to the N.N.W., in for the land. Soon after, a few canoes came
along-side with some hogs, but without any vegetables, which articles
we most wanted. We had now made some progress; for at noon the S.
point of the island bore S. 86-1/2 deg. E., the S.W. point N. 13 deg. W., the
nearest shore two leagues distant; latitude, by observation, 18 deg. 56',
and our longitude, by the time-keeper, 203 deg. 40'. We had got the length
of the S.W. point of the island in the evening, but the wind now
veering to the westward and northward, during the night we lost all
that