lee quarter. If I had found it
impossible to have got round those islands, it was my intention
to have stood back to the westward, and have got sight of the
land, between Tasman's Head and Adventure-Bay; to have run along
the coast, close in, until I found the opening of that road, and
there to have depended upon our anchors.

In this trying situation, the ship being leaky, our pumps
during such a night were a distressing tax upon us; as they were
kept constantly at work.

I do not recollect to have heard of a more wonderful escape.
Every thing which depended upon us, I believe, was done; but it
would be the highest presumption and ingratitude to Divine
Providence, were we to attribute our preservation wholly to our
best endeavours: his interference in our favour was so very
conspicuously manifested in various instances, in the course of
that night, as I believe not to leave a shadow of doubt, even in
the minds of the most profligate on board, of his immediate
assistance!

After having weathered Maria's Islands, we continued to stand
on with a press of sail to the eastward, for I was anxious to
gain an offing from the coast, the ship being exceedingly
disabled. All the rails of the head, round houses, and figure of
the head, were washed entirely away; and the rails to which the
bumkins were secured were so much weakened as to require to be
frapped down to the knee of the head; the jibboom, the
sprit-sail-yard, and the fore-top-gallant mast were necessarily
kept down upon deck to ease the bow-sprit, in case any of its
securities should be in danger from the shattered condition of
the cutwater.

We were no sooner to the eastward of Maria's Islands, than the
wind shifted round to south-east and east-south-east, which
brought us again upon a lee shore, for we could not weather
Maria's Islands upon one tack, nor Shooten's Isles and Bay of
Shoals upon the other; however, as it did not now blow so hard,
and the land was near 20 leagues distant, I was not under any
apprehensions from it.

On the 26th, the wind set in from the northward, and blew
fresh, frequently attended with the most violent squalls; it
continued northerly until the 2d of May, when it inclined to the
southward, and from that to the eastward: I had on this day
several distances of the sun and moon, the result of which was
155 deg. 25' east longitude, which was little more than one
degree to the eastward of the time-keeper. On the 6th, in the
mornin