1767. July.

It is well known, that the Surgeon on board his Majesty's ships keeps a list of the perfons who are fick on board, fpecifying their diseases, and the times when they came under his care, and when they were discharged. It happened that I was once at the pay-table on board a ship, when feveral failors objected to the payment of the Surgeon, alleging, that although he had discharged them from the lift, and reported them to be cured, yet their cure was incomplete. From this time, it has been my conftant practice when the Surgeon reported a man to be cured, who had been upon the fick lift, to call the man before me, and ask him whether the report was true: if he alleged that any symptoms of his complaint remained, I continued him upon the lift; if not, I required him, as a confirmation of the Surgeon's report, to sign the book, which was always done in my presence. A copy of the fick lift on board the Dolphin, during this voyage, figned by every man in my prefence, when he was discharged well, in confirmation of the Surgeon's report, written in my own hand, and confirmed by my affidavit, I have deposited in the Admiralty; by which it appears, that the laft man on board the ship, in her voyage outward, who was upon the fick list for the venereal disease, except one who was fent to England in the Store ship, was discharged cured, and figned the book on the 27th of December 1766, near fix months before our arrival at Otaheite, which was on the 19th of June 1767; and that the first man who was upon the lift for that disease, in our return home, was entered on the 26th of February 1768, fix months after we left the island, which was on the 26th of July 1767, so that the fhip's company was intirely free fourteen months within one day, the very middle of which time we spent at Otaheite; and the man who was firft entered as a venereal patient, on our return home, was known to have contracted the disease at the cape of Good Hope, where we then lay.

CHAP.

CHA P. IX.

Paffage from Otaheite to Tinian, with fome Account of feveral other Islands that were discovered in the South Seas.

HA

AVING made fail from King George the Third's Island, we proceeded along the shore of the Duke of York's Island, at the distance of about two miles. There appeared to be good bays in every part of it, and in the middle a fine harbour; but I did not think it worth while to go on fhore. The middle and weft end is very mountainous, the cast end is lower, and the coaft juft within the beach is covered. with cocoa-nut, bread-fruit, apple, and plantain trees.

1767. July.

Monday 27..

At day-light, the next morning, we faw land, for which Tuesday 28. we made fail, and ran along the lee-side of it. On the weather-fide there were very great breakers, and the lee-fide was rocky, but in many places there appeared to be good anchorage. We faw but few inhabitants, and they appeared to live in a manner very different from thofe of King George's Ifland, their habitations being only small huts. We faw many cocoa-nut and other trees upon the shore; but all of them had their heads blown away, probably in a hurricane. This ifland is about fix miles long, and has a mountain of confiderable height in the middle, which seems to be fertile. It lies in latitude 17° 28′ S. and longitude, by our laft obfervation, 151° 4′ W. and I called it SIR CHARLES Sir Charles SAUNDERS'S ISLAND.

Saunders's
Iland.

On the 29th, the variation of the compafs, by azimuth, wednef. 29. was 7° 52′ E.; and early the next morning, at day-break, we Thursday 30. faw land bearing from N. by E. to N. W. We stood for it,

but could find no anchorage, the whole island being fur6

rounded.

1767.rounded by breakers. We saw smoke in two places, but no July. inhabitants. A few cocoa-nut trees were growing on the Lord How's lee-part of it, and I called it LORD How's ISLAND.

Thursday 30.

Iland.

It is about ten miles long, and four broad, and lies in latitude 16° 46′ S. longitude, by observation, 154° 13′ W.

In the afternoon, we faw land bearing W. by N. and flood for it. At five o'clock, we faw breakers running a great way out to the fouthward, and foon after, low land to the S. W. and breakers all about it in every direction.

We turned to windward all night, and as foon as it was light, crowded fail to get round these fhoals. At nine we Scilly Islands. got round them, and named them SCILLY ISLANDS. They are a group of iflands or fhoals extremely dangerous; for in the night, however clear the weather, and by day, if it is hazey, a fhip may run upon them without feeing land. They lie in latitude 16° 28′ S. longitude 155° 30′ W.

Auguft.

2

We continued to fteer our course weftward, till day-break Thursday 13. on the 13th of Auguft, when we faw land bearing W. by S. and hauled towards it. At 11 o'clock in the forenoon, we faw more land in the W. S. W. At noon, the firft land that we faw, which proved to be an ifland, bore W. S. distant about five leagues, and had the appearance of a sugar loaf; the middle of the other land, which was also an ifland, and appeared in a peak, bore W. S. W. diftant fix leagues. To the firft, which is nearly circular, and three miles over, I gave the name of BOSCAWEN'S ISLAND; and the other, which is three miles and a half long, and two broad, I called KEPPEL'S ISLE. Port Royal at this time bore E. 4° 10' S. diftant 478 leagues.

Boscawen's
Iland.

Keppel's Ine.

At two o'clock, being about two miles diftant from Bofcawen's Island, we faw feveral of the inhabitants; but Keppel's Ifle being to windward, and appearing more likely to afford us anchorage, we hauled up for it. At fix, it was not

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