ter in the fair way, or mid-channel. To the eastwards, there
appeared many islands, and by the report of the people in the junk, the
sea is full of islands between the S.E. end of Banka and the island of
Borneo. The S.E. end of Banka now bore N.N.E. 1/2 N. about two leagues
off; and the land from this point to the entrance of the straits of
Banka, lay W. by S. the straits being thirteen leagues from us. Where we
lay at anchor, the before-mentioned point bearing N. by E. 1/2 E. 2-1/2
leagues off, we had an observation of the sun, giving the latitude of
the ship 3 deg. 8' S. Having little hope of finding a passage between Banka
and Borneo among these islands, by reason of the fearful shoalings we
had already met with, we resolved on the 8th to go through the straits
between the island of Banka and Sumatra, called the Straits of Banka;
wherefore we set sail, retracing as nearly as we could the course by
which we came into the present shoal water; in which course we found
still more dangerous shoalings than in our in-coming. After we had got
about eight leagues off, S.S.W. from the before-mentioned point of
Banka, we steered S.W. by W. the current setting N.W. which made our
course nearest W. by S. In this course we proceeded five leagues, and
anchored in 8 f. on ooze, about nine at night.

In the morning of the 9th, we descried Lucepara, N.N.W. seven leagues
off, and steered towards it, till we had it N. two leagues. In this
course we passed over a spit, where we had only 4-1/2 f. and 4-3/4. But
on nearing Lucepara, we had 5-1/4 f. all ooze. We then steered N.W. by
N. till Lucepara was N.E. of us, having 5 f. and the same ground. We
then, went W.N.W. having always ooze, till we were within two leagues of
the Sumatra shore in 6 f. The isle of Lucepara bore then E.S.E. 3-1/2
leagues off; and a hill on Banka with a deep swamp, N. by W. being about
a sail's breadth open of the point of Sumatra, which bore N. by W. 1/2
W. from us, about three leagues off. We steered thence away with the
said point N. by W. Having 6-1/2 and 7 f. soft ground, till we came
within a league of the point, where edging too near we had but 5-1/2,
and only 4-1/2 in the boat hard by us: But, if we had kept a little
farther from the point, we might have gone in 7, 8, 9, and 10 f. all
through the strait, borrowing carefully with the lead upon the Sumatra
shore; whereas by keeping nearer to Banka than Sumatra, the soundings
are very variable, sometimes deep,