se into the passage, into which, as
well as through the septum, were thrust pieces of reed or bone;
their arms and thighs were marked in the manner described by
Captain Cook, of some of the natives of the islands he visited in
these seas, called tatowing; and some were painted with red and
white streaks; they wore a wrapper round their middle. Their
canoe was about 40 feet long; it was badly made, and had an
out-rigger.

The islands appeared very thickly covered with wood, among
which the cocoa-nut was very distinguishable; I think it highly
probable that there may be good anchorage amongst them, but my
situation would not admit of my examining into that matter. They
lie in an east and west direction along that side on which we
sailed (south side), and their latitude on that side is 5 deg.
30' south, the longitude from 159 deg. 14' east to 159 deg. 37'
east*.

[* These islands I called Lord Howe's
Groupe.]

On the 18th, at eight o'clock in the morning, we saw three
small islands bearing west-north-west, and very high land bearing
south-west: at eleven o'clock two more islands were in sight from
the mast-head, and two smaller ones, which appeared no larger
than rocks: at noon five islands and two rocks were to be seen;
they seemed all to be connected by a reef which on the west side
extended some distance from them; great part of a sand bank
within the reef appeared dry, and some natives were seen upon it;
two canoes, with triangular sails, endeavoured to reach the ship,
but it blew very fresh, and we could not afford to lose time.
These I took to be a part of Captain Carteret's nine islands;
they seemed to lie in the direction of south-east and
north-west.

We sailed round the south end, from which, to the westward, a
reef extends about two miles. The southermost island lies in the
latitude of 4 53' south, and longitude 155 deg. 20' east; the
south-westernmost island is in 4 deg. 50' south, and longitude
155 deg. 13' east. The land seen in the south-west was
exceedingly high, and bore at noon south-south-west half west: at
sun-set, the extremes of the high land bore from south by east to
west-south-west, and seemed to terminate to the northward in a
low woody point; about the middle part of this high land there is
a considerable breach or opening, which had much the appearance
of a streight or passage through; and as I judge this is the
land, along the west side of which Lieutenant Shortland, in the
Alexander