n, and I am of opinion, that if
the winds had not failed me in the higher latitudes, I should have
fallen in with it: I would indeed at this time have hauled away to the
southward, and attempted the discovery, if our people had been healthy,
for having observed that all the islands we had seen were full of
inhabitants, I was still more confirmed in my opinion; as I could
account for their being peopled only by supposing a chain of islands
reaching to a continent; but the sickness of the crews, in both ships,
was an insuperable impediment.

[Footnote 38: No doubt to the Navigators' Islands, so called by
Bougainville. Captain Wallis touched at one of them, and named them
Boscawen's and Keppel's Islands. Peyrouse has given a very curious, but
not a pleasing account of their inhabitants. To the south of them again
are the Friendly Islands.--E.]

The next day we again saw many birds of various sorts about the ship,
and therefore supposed that some other island was not far distant, for
the swell continuing, I concluded that the land was not of very great
extent: I proceeded, however, with caution, for the islands in this part
of the ocean render the navigation very dangerous, they being so low,
that a ship may be close in with them before they are seen. We saw
nothing, however, on the 18th, the 19th, nor the 20th, during which we
continued to steer the same course, though the birds still continued
about the vessel in great numbers. Our latitude was now 12 deg.33'S.
longitude 167 deg.47'W. The Prince of Wales's Island was distant, 313
leagues, and the variation of the needle was 9 deg.15'E. The next morning
about seven o'clock, we discovered a most dangerous reef of breakers,
bearing S.S.W. and not farther distant than a single league. In about
half an hour afterwards, land was seen from the mast-head, bearing
W.N.W. and distant about eight leagues; it had the appearance of three
islands, with rocks and broken ground between them. The south-east side
of these islands lies N.E. by N. and S.W. by S. and is about three
leagues in length between the extreme points, from both which a reef
runs out, upon which the sea breaks to a tremendous height. We sailed
round the north end, and upon the north-west and west side, saw
innumerable rocks and shoals, which stretched near two leagues into the
sea, and were extremely dangerous. The islands themselves had a more
fertile and beautiful appearance than any we had seen before, and, like