y the assistance
of cork jackets and rope and the canoe. I supposed that the natives had
left the island and I bore away to join the tender that had been sent to
search for a channel into the lagoon near the northernmost isle; and
after joining her I went once more towards the place we had first
examined, and seeing no natives or any signs of them there I gave up the
search.

On the 15th stood to the southward for Navigators' islands. I called the
island the Duke of Clarence's Island. It lies in Latitude 9 deg. 9' 30" and
Longitude 171 deg. 30' 46".[48-1] From the abundance of cocoanut trees both
on this and the Duke of York's island, in the trunks of which holes were
cut transversely to catch and preserve water, and as no other water was
seen by us we supposed it was the only means they had of procuring that
useful and necessary article. On the 18th in the forenoon we saw a very
high island and as I supposed it to be a new discovery I called it
Chatham island,[49-1] and standing in for it, I perceived a Bay towards
the N.E. end and I made a tack to endeavour to look into it. Perceiving
that I could not accomplish my intentions before night I bore away and
ran along the shore and sent the tender to reconnoitre, and found,
opposite to a sandy beach where there was an Indian town, she got 25
fathoms about a quarter of a mile from the reef, which runs off the place
and carries soundings of sand regularly in to 5 fathoms.

In the morning a boat was sent to ground in an opening in the reef before
the town, in which 3 fathoms of water was found, and 21/2 fathoms within
it. This harbour is situated on the North side near the middle, but
rather nearest to the West end.[49-2] We were told that there was a river
there, and another or two between it and the South end. We then ran round
the West to the S.W. end of the island and in the bay there 25 fathoms of
water was found, the bottom rather foul and bad landing for a ship's
boat. The natives said there was another, but the boat being called on
board by signal she did not dare to examine into the truth of their
report. We found here a native of the Friendly Islands, who called
himself Fenow, and a relation of the chief of that name of
Tongataboo.[49-3] Fenow said he had seen Captain Cook and English ships
at the Friendly Islands, and that the natives of this island had never
seen a ship before they saw the _Pandora_. The island is more than 30
miles long. A high mountain [4000 f