outh, and longitude by time keeper corrected,
143 deg. 18' east. From the time of anchoring, to nine at night, there was a
set past the ship to the north-east, of half a knot; it ceased for three
hours, then recommencing at a slower rate, ran to the same point. Thus
far in the strait, the current had been found to run at the rate of
fourteen miles a day to the westward; and the above set might have been
an eddy under the lee of the reef, for it seemed too irregular to be a
tide.

[SUNDAY 31 OCTOBER 1802]

At daylight in the morning the south-east trade blew fresh with squally
weather. We steered south-westward, passing at seven o'clock between two
dry sands, three or four miles apart, with a depth of 15 fathoms; at
eight, another dry bank was left two miles to the southward, and a small,
low island set at N. by W., two or three leagues. From this time, and
running at the rate of seven knots, nothing was seen until ten; a dry
sand then bore N. 78 deg. W., two miles and a half, and two more low isles
were seen to the northward; the soundings had become regular, between 10
and 9 fathoms, and the bottom was of mixed sand and shells, fit for
anchorage. Our latitude at noon was 10 deg. 26' 45", and longitude 142 deg. 391/2';
and we had high land bearing S. 3 deg. E. ten or twelve miles, which I
supposed might be the easternmost of the York Isles, although captain
Cook's longitude of it was 38' more westward. The weather being hazy, no
other land was seen, nor any reefs; but at one o'clock, I set these
bearings:

York Isle, high flat top, S. 35 deg. E.
A more northern, double isle, S. 84 W.
A high peaked hill (Mt. Ernest of Bligh), N. 16 W.

[NORTH COAST. PRINCE OF WALES' ISLANDS.]

At two o'clock, when we passed on the north side of the double isle, it
was seen to be surrounded with a coral reef, and there were rocks on its
west and south sides. We then hauled tip S. W. by S. for some rocky
islets lying, as I supposed, off Cape York; but finding no shelter there,
bore away round the north end of an island, of which Mr. Westall took a
view (Atlas, Plate XVIII. View 12), and anchored in 7 fathoms, gravel and
shells, one mile and a half from the land, and two or three cables length
from a shoal to the southward, which became dry at low water. Our
latitude here was 10 deg. 30' from bearings, and longitude by time-keeper
142(? illegible in book) 181/2' east; but I was altogether at a loss to