a bottom of greenish mud,
intermixed with sand.

On the fifth of November, at midnight, we made the coast of China; and
the next day, about two o'clock, as we were standing to the westward
within two leagues of the coast, and still surrounded by fishing
vessels in as great numbers as at first, we perceived that a boat
a-head of us waved a red flag, and blew a horn; This we considered as
a signal made to us, either to warn us of some shoal, or to inform
us that they would supply us with a pilot, and in this belief we
immediately sent our cutter to the boat, to know their intentions; but
we were soon made sensible of our mistake, and found that this boat
was the commodore of the whole fishery, and that the signal she had
made, was to order them all to leave off fishing, and to return in
shore, which we saw them instantly obey. On this disappointment we
kept on our course, and soon after passed by two very small rocks,
which lay four or five miles distant from the shore; but night came on
before we got sight of Pedro Blanco, and we therefore brought-to till
the morning, when we had the satisfaction to discover it. It is a rock
of a small circumference, but of a moderate height, and, both in shape
and colour, resembles a sugar-loaf, and is about seven or eight miles
from the shore. We passed within a mile and a half of it, and left
it between us and the land, still keeping on to the westward; and the
next day, being the 7th, we were a-breast of a chain of islands,
which stretched from east to west. These, as we afterwards found, were
called the islands of Lema;[6] they are rocky and barren, and are in
all, small and great, fifteen or sixteen; and there are, besides, a
great number of other islands between them and the main land of China.
These islands we left on the star-board side, passing within four
miles of them, where we had twenty-four fathom water. We were still
surrounded by fishing-boats; and we once more sent the cutter on board
one of them, to endeavour to procure a pilot, but could not prevail;
however, one of the Chinese directed us by signs to sail round the
westermost of the islands, or rocks of Lema, and then to hale up.
We followed this direction; and in the evening came to an anchor in
eighteen fathom.

[Footnote 6: Called Grand Lema in Arrowsmith's map, and touched at by
the Lion in 1793.--E.]

On the 9th at four in the morning, we sent our cutter to sound the
channel, where we proposed to pass; but b