ion, was 21 deg. 12', and longitude 120 deg. 25'. We saw, this
day, a flock of ducks, and many tropic-birds, also dolphins and porpoises,
and still continued to pass several pumice-stones. We spent the night upon
our tacks, and, at six in the morning of the 27th, again bore away west in
search of the Bashees.

I now began to be a little apprehensive, lest, in searching for those
islands, we should get so much to the southward as to be obliged to pass to
leeward of the Pratas. In this case, it might have been exceedingly
difficult for such bad-sailing ships as ours to fetch Macao, particularly
should the wind continue to blow, as it now did, from the N.N.E. and N. As
I had some doubts whether Mr Dalrymple's charts were on board the
Resolution, I made sail and hailed her; and having acquainted Captain Gore
with the position of these shoals, and my apprehensions of being driven to
the southward, he informed me that he should continue on his course for the
day, as he was still in hopes of finding Admiral Byron's longitude right;
and therefore ordered me to spread a few miles to the south.

At noon, the weather became hazy; the latitude, by reckoning, was 21 deg. 2',
and longitude 118 deg. 30'; and at six, having got to the westward of the
Bashees, by Mr Byron's account, Captain Gore hauled his wind to the N.W.,
under an easy sail, the wind blowing very strong, and there being every
appearance of a dirty boisterous night. At four in the morning of the 28th,
we saw the Resolution, then half a mile ahead of us, wear, and immediately
perceived breakers close under our lee. At day-light, we saw the island of
Prata; and at half past six we wore again, and stood toward the shoal, and
finding we could not weather it, bore away, and ran to leeward. As we
passed the south side, within a mile of the reef, we observed two
remarkable patches on the edge of the breakers, that looked like wrecks. At
noon, the latitude, found by double altitudes, was 20 deg. 39', longitude 116 deg.
45'. The island bore N. 3/4 E., distant three or four leagues. On the
south-west side of the reef, and near the south end of the island, we
thought we saw, from the mast-head, openings in the reef, which promised
safe anchorage.

The Prata shoal is of a considerable extent, being six leagues from north
to south, and stretching three or four leagues to the eastward of the
island; its limit to the westward we were not in a situation to determine.
The northeast ex