hat
island.--Sails from the Isle of France.--Arrival in the English
Channel.-

Having received the dispatches for his Majesty's principal
Secretary of State, and for the Secretary of the Admiralty, from
Governor Phillip, together with his order for me to go on board
the Supply, and to proced in her to Batavia, and from thence, to
make the best of my way to England, with the above dispatches,
and Lieutenant Ball having also received his orders, I took my
leave of the governor, and at noon on the 17th of April, we set
sail; carrying with us the fervent prayers of those we left
behind, for our safety.

From this time till the 22d, we had variable weather, the wind
in general from the south-east. Lieutenant Ball was directed to
call at Norfolk-Island, if it did not occasion him too much loss
of time; but, as the winds seemed to hang to the eastward, there
was every probability of losing at least a fortnight; and, as the
Supply did not carry any thing which could be of the least
assistance to those on the island, he thought proper to proceed
on the voyage, and accordingly bore up in order to go to the
westward of the shoal seen by the Golden-Grove, in latitude
29 deg. 25' south, and 159 deg. 59' east longitude: Lieutenant
Shortland also saw another shoal, as hath already been mentioned,
which may probably be the same, if they exist: this, however,
seems to be a matter of doubt, as Lieutenant Ball, in July, 1789,
cruized in these and the adjacent latitudes and longitudes for a
fortnight, and could not see the least appearance either of an
island or shoals; although Mr. Blackburn, the master of the
Supply, who was at that time on board the Golden-Grove, is very
confident that a shoal was seen in that vessel.

We had very heavy gales of wind from east until the 28th, with
violent squalls, attended with rain: the air in general thick and
hazy, and a high hollow sea running. At one o'clock on the 28th,
we perceived a great alteration in the sea, which was become so
smooth, that at four o'clock it was, comparatively speaking,
smooth water: at half past five, the man who was stationed at the
mast-head, saw breakers in the south-east, which were found to be
a shoal, bearing from south-east by east to east-south-east,
about seven miles distant: it appeared to trend south-south-east
and north-north-west; and the north end seemed to break off
suddenly in a small bluff.

The man at the mast-head had seen this shoal a considerabl