efore the return of the
cutter, a Chinese pilot put on board us, and told us, in broken
Portuguese, he would carry us to Macao for thirty dollars: These were
immediately paid him, and we then weighed and made sail; and soon
after, several other pilots came on board us, who, to recommend
themselves, produced certificates from the captains of several ships
they had piloted in, but we continued the ship under the management of
the Chinese who came first on board. By this time we learnt, that we
were not far distant from Macao, and that there were in the river of
Canton, at the mouth of which Macao lies, eleven European ships, of
which four were English. Our pilot carried us between the islands of
Bamboo and Cabouce, but the winds hanging in the northern board, and
the tides often setting strongly against us, we were obliged to come
frequently to an anchor, so that we did not get through between the
two islands till the 12th of November, at two in the morning. In
passing through, our depth of water was from twelve to fourteen
fathom; and as we still steered on N.W. 1/2 W. between a number of
other islands, our soundings underwent little or no variation till
towards the evening, when they increased to seventeen fathom; in which
depth (the wind dying away) we anchored not far from the island of
Lantoon, which is the largest of all this range of islands. At seven
in the morning we weighed again, and steering W.S.W. and S.W. by
W., we at ten o'clock happily anchored in Macao road, in five fathom
water, the city of Macao bearing W. by N., three leagues distant; the
peak of Lantoon E. by N., and the grand Ladrone S. by E. each of them
about five leagues distant. Thus, after a fatiguing cruise of above
two years continuance, we once more arrived in an amicable port, in
a civilized country; where the conveniences of life were in great
plenty; where the naval stores, which we now extremely wanted, could
be in some degree procured; where we expected the inexpressible
satisfaction of receiving letters from our relations and friends; and
where our countrymen, who were lately arrived from England, would be
capable of answering the numerous enquiries we were prepared to make,
both about public and private occurrences, and to relate to us many
particulars, which, whether of importance or not, would be listened
to by us with the utmost attention, after the long suspension of
our correspondence with our country, to which the nature of our
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