each a place, which we knew we could
not gain without a change of wind; and the very great difficulty
and uncertainty of getting a supply of water there, determined
every one's opinion in favour of bearing away to the
northward.

Much time had already been lost in making the attempt, we
therefore steered to the northward, intending to pass between the
New Hebrides and Nova Caledonia; but in this intention we were
disappointed. Upon making the Isle of Pines, (on the 23d of
April,) which lies off the south end of New Caledonia, (the
island bore when we made it north,) the wind blew so strong from
the northward of east, that we could not weather and pass to the
eastward of it. We had not Cook's Second Voyage on board, so that
we had no account of this land, and as I had always understood
that the Isle of Pines was a small inconsiderable spot, with many
tall pine-trees upon it, we all concluded, that, what afterwards
proved really the island was the land which Captain Cook had
called the Prince of Wales's Foreland, and is the south-west part
of New Caledonia.

We had moreover farther reason to believe this to be the case,
from the circumstance, that from this land to the south-east
there lay a low island on which grew high pine-trees; from which
circumstance, we considered it to be the Isle of Pines; and being
unable, as I have already observed, to weather it, we bore away,
intending to run along the western coast of New Caledonia: this
mistake had nearly proved of fatal consequences to us, for after
we had coasted along for a few leagues, and had been employed in
taking angles for ascertaining the shape of the coast, as we
sailed along it, land was discovered a-head; upon which the
course was altered: soon afterwards, more land was seen still
a-head, and as we hauled up to avoid it, more land and broken
keys or low islands were discovered a-head, and as far to
windward as the eye could reach; we consequently hauled our wind,
and stood towards it, in order to discover our situation with
more certainty.

We soon found that we had sailed into a very deep bay, formed
between the Isle of Pines to the eastward, and a most dangerous
reef on the west, which extended from the high land or south-west
point of New Caledonia, not less than ten or eleven leagues, and
was nearly that distance in a south-west direction from the high
part of the Isle of Pines: in this situation there was no
alternative; for we must either beat to w