points during the
night, and of which we had availed ourselves: by noon we were so
far to windward as to perceive the utmost extent of the reef to
the southward under our lee, and we had a prospect of weathering
it; we, of course, carried a press of sail, and did weather it
about two or three miles: when a-breast of it, the highest part
of the Isle of Pines was just to be seen above the horizon, which
was very clear, and it bore by compass north-east by north,
distant ten or eleven leagues; having passed without the reef, at
noon we observed our latitude to be 23 deg. 7' south, so that the
south extremity of this dangerous reef lies in latitude 23 deg.
00' south nearly: as soon as we were fairly clear of this
situation, we bore away to the westward.

The Isle of Pines, so far from being an inconsiderable spot,
as I had believed, is not less than 14 or 15 miles over in a
south-east and north-west direction; it is high and remarkable in
the middle, being quite a pointed hill, sloping towards the
extremities, which are very low; the low land had many tall
pine-trees upon it; these trees, in length, seemed exceedingly to
surpass those of Norfolk Island, but their branches did not
appear to extend so far from the body of the tree.

We continued to steer to the north-westward without seeing any
thing, and when we had reached the latitude of 19 deg. 00' south,
which is supposed to be as far to the northward as any part of
New Caledonia extends, we hauled to the north-east, so as to pass
between Queen Charlotte's Islands and that large track of land
which had been seen by Monsieurs Bougainville and Surville
formerly, and lately by Lieutenant Shortland, in the Alexander
Transport, and more recently still by Lieutenant Ball, in his
Majesty's armed tender Supply. The part seen by Lieutenant Ball
is, I believe, more to the southward, than that seen by the
French, and is no doubt the same as that seen by Lieutenant
Shortland; but the one sailed along the east, the other along the
west side of it. It is highly probable that there is a
continuation of the same track, and it is farther probable, by
the breaks which have been observed in it, that it is a chain of
islands extending in a south-east and north-west direction, and
very nearly connected with the coast of New Guinea.

On the 5th of May we were near as far to the northward as the
southermost part of this land, but did not see it, being by our
longitude in 163 deg. 33' ea