provisions, and recommending to them in the most solemn manner not to depart from their promise, we bore away across a sea where the navigation is but little known, in a small boat, twenty-three feet long from stem to stern, deeply laden with eighteen men. I was happy, however, to see that every one seemed better satisfied with our situation than myself. Our stock of provisions consisted of about one hundred and fifty pounds of bread, twenty-eight gallons of water, twenty pounds of pork, three bottles of wine, and five quarts of rum. The difference between this and the quantity we had on leaving the ship was principally owing to our loss in the bustle and confusion of the attack. A few cocoa-nuts were in the boat, and some bread-fruit; but the latter was trampled to pieces. It was about eight o'clock at night when we bore away under a reefed lug foresail; and having divided the people into watches, and got the boat in a little order, we returned God thanks for our miraculous preservation; and fully confident of His gracious support, I found my mind more at ease than it had been for some time past.

'Sunday, 3d.-At daybreak the gale increased; the sun rose very fiery and red, a sure indication of a severe gale of wind. At eight it blew a violent storm, and the sea ran very high, so that between the seas the sail was becalmed, and when on the

top of the sea it was too much to have set; but we could not venture to take in the sail, for we were in very imminent danger and distress, the sea curling over the stern of the boat, which obliged us to bale with all our might. A situation more distressing has, perhaps, seldom been experienced. Our bread was in bags, and in danger of being spoiled by the wet; to be starved to death was inevitable if this could not be prevented. I therefore began to examine what clothes there were in the boat, and what other things could be spared; and having determined that only two suits should be kept for each person, the rest was thrown overboard, with some rope and spare sails, which lightened the boat considerably, and we had more room to bale the water out. Fortunately the carpenter had a good chest in the boat, in which we secured the bread the first favourable moment. His tool chest also was cleared, and the tools stowed in the bottom of the boat, so that this became a second convenience. I served a tea-spoonful of rum to each person (for we were very wet and cold), with a quarter of a bread-fruit, which was scarcely eatable, for dinner. Our engagement was now strictly to be carried into execution; and I was fully determined to make our provisions last eight weeks, let the daily proportion be ever so small. The weather continued very severe, the wind

veering from N.E. to E.S.E. The sea ran higher than in the forenoon, and the fatigue of baling to keep the boat from filling was exceedingly great. We could do nothing more than keep before the sea, in the course of which the boat performed so well, that I no longer dreaded any danger in that respect. But among the hardships we were to undergo, that of being constantly wet was not the least. The night was very cold, and at daylight on Monday the 4th, our limbs were so benumbed that we could scarce find the use of them. At this time I served a tea-spoonful of rum to each person, from which we all found great benefit.

'Wednesday, the 6th.-The weather was fair, and the wind moderate all day from the E.N.E. At daylight a number of other islands were in sight from S.S. E. to the W., and round to N.E. by E.; between those in the N.W. I determined to pass. At noon a small sandy island or key, two miles distant from me, bore from E. to S. W. I had passed ten islands, the largest of which I judged to be six or eight leagues in circuit. Much larger lands appeared in the S.W. and N.N.W., between which I directed my course. Our allowance for the day was a quarter of a pint of cocoa-nut milk, and the meat, which did not exceed two ounces to each person. It was received very contentedly, but we suffered great drought. I durst not ven

ture to land, as we had no arms, and were less capable of defending ourselves than we were at Tofoa. To our great joy we hooked a fish; but we were miserably disappointed by its being lost in trying to get it into the boat. We continued steering to the N.W. between the islands, which, by the evening, appeared of considerable extent, woody, and mountainous. At six o'clock we were nearly midway between them, and about six leagues distant from each shore, when we fell in with a coral bank, on which we had only four feet water, without the least break on it or ruffle of the sea to give us warning. I could see that it extended about a mile on each side of us. I directed the course W. by N. for the night, and served to each person an ounce of the damaged bread and a quarter of a pint of water for supper. As our lodgings were very miserable, and confined for want of room, I endeavoured to remedy the latter defect by putting ourselves at watch and watch; so that one half always sat up, while the other lay down on the boat's bottom, or upon a chest, with nothing to cover us but the heavens. Our limbs were dreadfully cramped, for we could not stretch them out; and the nights were so cold, and we so constantly wet, that after a few hours' sleep we could scarcely move.

'Thursday, 7th.-At dawn of day we again discovered land

from W.S.W. to W.N.W., and another island N.N.W., the latter a high, round lump of but little extent; the southern land that we had passed in the night was still in sight. Being very wet and cold, I served a spoonful of rum and morsel of bread for breakfast. The land in the west was distinguished by some extraordinary high rocks, which, as we approached them, assumed a variety of forms. The country appeared to be agreeably interspersed with high and low land, and in some places covered with wood. Off the N.E. part lay some small rocky islands, between which and an island four leagues to the N.E. I directed my course; but a lee current very unexpectedly set us very near to the rocky isles, and we could only get clear of it by rowing, passing close to the reef that surrounded them. At this time we observed two large sailing canoes coming swiftly after us along shore; and being apprehensive of their intentions, we rowed with some anxiety, fully sensible of our weak and defenceless state. All the afternoon we had light winds at N.N.E.; the weather was very rainy, attended with thunder and lightning. Only one of the canoes gained upon us, which by three o'clock in the afternoon was not more than two miles off, when she gave over chase. If I may judge from the sail of these vessels, they are of a similar construction with those

at the Friendly Islands, which, with the nearness of their situation, gives reason to believe that they are the same kind of people. Whether these canoes had any hostile intention against us must remain a doubt. Perhaps we might have benefited by an intercourse with them; but in our defenceless situation, to have made the experiment would have been risking too much. I imagine these to be the islands called Fiji, as their extent, direction, and distance from the Friendly Islands answer to the description given of them by those islanders. Heavy rain came on at four o'clock, when each person did his utmost to catch some water, and we increased our stock to thirty-four gallons, besides quenching our thirst for the first time since we had been at sea; but an attendant consequence made us pass the night very miserably; for being extremely wet, and having no dry things to shift or cover us, we experienced cold shiverings. scarcely to be conceived. Most fortunately for us, the forenoon, Friday the 8th, turned out fair, and we stripped and dried our clothes. The allowance I issued to-day was an ounce and a half of pork, and a tea-spoonful of rum, half a pint of cocoanut milk, and an ounce of bread. The rum, though so small in quantity, was of the greatest service. A fishing line was generally towing from the stern of the boat; but though we saw

great numbers of fish, we could never catch one. In the afternoon we cleaned out the boat, and it employed us till sunset to get everything dry and in order. Hitherto I had issued the allowance by guess, but I now made a pair of scales with two cocoanut shells; and having accidentally some pistol balls in the boat, 25 of which weighed one pound, or 16 ounces, I adopted one as the proportion of weight that each person should receive of bread at the times I served it. I also amused all hands with describing the situation of New Guinea and New Holland, and gave them every information in my power, that in case any accident happened to me, those who survived might have some idea of what they were about, and be able to find their way to Timor, which at present they knew nothing of more than the name, and some not even that. At night I served a quarter of a pint of water, and half an ounce of bread, for supper.

'Saturday, 9th. In the morning a quarter of a pint of cocoanut milk, and some of the decayed bread, was served for breakfast; and for dinner I divided the meat of four cocoanuts, with the remainder of the rotten bread, which was eatable only by such distressed people. In the afternoon I fitted a pair of shrouds for each mast, and contrived a canvas weather cloth round the boat, and raised the quarters about nine inches, by nailing on the seats of the stern

sheets, which proved of great benefit to us. The wind had been moderate all day in the S.E. quarter, with fine weather; but about nine o'clock in the evening the clouds began to gather, and we had a prodigious fall of rain, with severe thunder and lightning. By midnight we caught about twenty gallons of water. Being miserably wet and cold, I served to the people a tea-spoonful of rum each, to enable them to bear with their distressed situation. The weather continued extremely bad, and the wind increased: we spent a very miserable night, without sleep, except such as could be got in the midst of rain. The day brought no relief but its light. The sea broke over us so much that two men were constantly baling, and we had no choice how to steer, being obliged to keep before the waves for fear of the boat filling. The allowance now regularly served to each person was one twentyfifth of a pound of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, at eight in the morning, at noon, and at sunset. To-day I gave about half an ounce of pork for dinner, which, though any moderate person would have considered only as a mouthful, was divided into three or four. The wind continued strong from S.S. E. to S. E., with very squally weather and a high breaking sea, so that we were miserably wet, and suffered great cold in the night.

Monday, 11th. In the

morning, at daybreak, I served to every person a tea-spoonful of rum, our limbs being so cramped that we could scarcely move them. Our situation was now extremely dangerous, the sea frequently running over our stern, which kept us baling with all our strength. At noon the sun appeared, which gave us as much pleasure as in a winter's day in England. I issued the twenty-fifth of a pound of bread, and a quarter of a pint of water, as yesterday. In the evening it rained hard, and we again experienced a dreadful night. At length the day (Tuesday the 12th) came, and showed to me a miserable set of beings, full of wants, without anything to relieve them. Some complained of great pain in their bowels, and every one of having almost lost the use of his limbs. The little sleep we got was no ways refreshing, as we were covered with sea and I served a spoonful of rum at day-dawn, and the usual allowance of bread and water for breakfast, dinner, and supper. At noon it was almost calm, no sun to be seen, and some of us shivering with cold. The direction of our course was to pass to the northward of the New Hebrides. The wet weather continued, and in the afternoon the wind came from the southward, blowing fresh in squalls. As there was no prospect of getting our clothes dried, I recommended to every one to strip, and wring them through the salt water, by which means

they received a warmth that, while wet with rain, they could not have. This afternoon we saw a kind of fruit on the water, which Nelson told me was the Barringtonia of Forster; and as I saw the same again in the morning, and some men-of-war birds, I was led to believe that we were not far from land. We continued constantly shipping seas and baling, and were very wet and cold in the night; but I could not afford the allowance of rum at daybreak.

'Wednesday, 13th.-All this day we were constantly shipping water, and suffered much cold. and shiverings in the night.Thursday, 14th.-Fresh gales at S.E., and gloomy weather, with rain and a high sea. At six in the morning we saw land from S.W. by S. eight leagues to N.W. by W. W. six leagues, which soon after appeared to be four islands, one of them much larger than the others, and all of them high and remarkable. At noon we discovered a small island and

some rocks bearing N.W. by N. four leagues, and another island W. eight leagues, so that the whole were six in number, the four I had first seen bearing from S. E. to S.W. by S., our distance three leagues from the nearest island. At four in the afternoon we passed the westernmost island.-Friday, 15th.-At one in the morning another island was discovered, bearing W.N.W. five leagues' distance; and at eight we saw it for the last time, bearing N. E. seven leagues. A