I shall now quit this country, with a few obfervations relative to the currents and tides upon the coaft. From latitude 32°, and fomewhat higher, down to Sandy Cape, in latitude 24° 46′, we conftantly found a current fetting to the fouthward, at the rate of about ten or fifteen miles a day, being more or lefs, according to our distance from the land, for it always ran with more force in shore than in the offing; but I could never fatisfy myself whether the flood-tide came from the fouthward, the eastward, or the northward: I inclined to the opinion that it came from the fouth-eaft, but the first time we anchored off the coaft, which was in latitude 24° 30′, about ten leagues to the south east of Bustard Bay, I found it come from the north weft; on the contrary, thirty leagues farther to the north weft, on the south fide of Keppel Bay, I found that it came from the east, and at the northern part of that Bay it came from the northward, but with a much flower motion than it had come from the east: on the eaft fide of the Bay of Inlets, it set ftrongly to the weftward, as far as the opening of Broad Sound; but on the north fide of that Sound, it came with a very flow motion from the north west; and when we lay at anchor before Repulse Bay, Hh 2

it

1770. Auguft.

3770. Auguft..

it came from the northward: to account for its courfe in all this variety of directions, we need only admit that the floodtide comes from the east or fouth eaft. It is well known, that where there are deep inlets, and large creeks into low lands, running up from the fea, and not occafioned by rivers of fresh water, there will always be a great indraught of the flood-tide, the direction of which will be determined by the pofition or direction of the coaft which forms the entrance of fuch inlet, whatever be its course at fea; and where the tides are weak, which upon this coaft is generally the cafe, a large inlet will, if I may be allowed the expression, attract the flood-tide for many leagues.

A view of the chart will at once illuftrate this position. To the northward of Whitsunday's Paffage there is no large inlet, confequently the flood fets to the northward, or north weftward, according to the direction of the coaft, and the ebb to the fouth, or fouth caftward; at least fuch is their courfe at a little distance from the land, for very near it they will be influenced by fmall inlets. I also observed, that we had only one high tide in twenty-four hours, which happened in the night. The difference between the perpendicular rife of the water in the day and the night, when there is a fpring-tide, is no less than three feet, which, where the tides are fo inconfiderable as they are here, is a great proportion of the whole difference between high and low water. This irregularity of the tides, which is worthy of notice, we did not discover till we were run afhore, and perhaps farther to the northward it is ftill greater: after we got within the reef the fecond time, we found the tides more confiderable than we had ever done before, except in the Bay of Inlets, and poffibly this may be owing to the water being more confined between the fhoals; here also the flood fets to

the

the north west, and continues in the fame direction to the extremity of New Wales, from whence its direction is weft and south west into the Indian fea.

1770.

Auguft.

CHA P. VII.

The Paffage from New South Wales to New Guinea, with an Account of what happened upon landing there.

N the afternoon of Thursday Auguft the 23d, after leaving Thursday 23. Booby Ifland, we fteered W. N. W. with light airs from

IN

the S. S. W. till five o'clock, when it fell calm, and the tideof ebb foon after fetting to the N. E. we came to an anchor in eight fathom water; with a foft fandy bottom. Booby Inland bore S. 50 E. diftant five miles, and the Prince of Wales's Ifles extended from N. E. by N. to S. 55 E.; between these there appeared to be a clear open paffage, extending from N. 46 E. to E. by N.

At half an hour after five, in the morning of the 24th, as Friday 24. we were purchasing the anchor, the cable parted at about eight or ten fathom from the ring: the fhip then began to drive, but I immediately dropped another anchor, which brought her up before she got more than a cable's length from the buoy; the boats were then fent to sweep for the anchor, but could not fucceed. At noon, our latitude, by obfervation, was 10° 30' S. As I was refolved not to leave the anchor behind, while there remained a poffibility of recovering it, I fent the boats again after dinner, with a fmall line, to discover where it lay; this being happily effected, we swept for it with a hawfer, and by the fame hawfer hove the fhip up to it: we proceeded to weigh it, but

juft.

1770.

August.

Friday 24.

Saturday 25.

It

just as we were about to fhip it, the hawfer flipped, and we had all our labour to repeat: by this time it was dark, and we were obliged to fufpend our operations till the morning. As foon as it was light, we fweeped it again, and heaved it to the bows: by eight o'clock, we weighed the other anchor, got under fail, and, with a fine breeze at E. N. E. ftood to the north west. At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 10° 18' S. longitude 219° 39′ W. At this time, we had no land in fight, but about two miles to the fouthward of us lay a large fhoal, upon which the fea broke with great violence, and part of which, I believe, is dry at low water. extends N. W. and S. E. and is about five leagues in circuit. Our depth of water, from the time we weighed till now, was nine fathom, but it foon fhallowed to feven fathom; and at half an hour after one, having run eleven miles between noon and that time, the boat which was a-head made the fignal for fhoal water; we immediately let go an anchor, and brought the fhip up with all the fails flanding, for the boat having juft been relieved, was at but a little distance: upon looking out from the fhip, we faw fhoal water almost all round us, both wind and tide at the fame time fetting upon it. The fhip was in fix fathom, but upon founding round her, at the diftance of half a cable's length, we found fcarcely two. This fhoal reached from the east, round by the north and weft, as far as the south west, so that there was no way for us to get clear but that which we came. This was another hair's-breadth escape, for it was near high water, and there run a fhort cockling fea, which must very foon have bulged the fhip if fhe had ftruck; and if her direction had been half a cable's length more either to the right or left, she must have ftruck before the fignal for the shoal was made. The fhoals which, like thefe, lie a fathom or two under water, are the most dangerous of any, for they do

not

1770.

Auguit.

not difcover themfelves till the veffel is juft upon them, and then indeed the water looks brown, as if it reflected a dark cloud. Between three and four o'clock the tide of ebb be- Saturday 25. gan to make, and I fent the Mafter to found to the fouthward and fouth westward, and in the mean time, as the ship tended, I weighed anchor, and with a little fail stood firft to the southward, and afterwards edging away to the westward, got once more out of danger. At funfet, we anchored in ten fathom, with a fandy bottom, having a fresh gale at E. S. E.

At fix in the morning, we weighed again and flood weft, Sunday 26. having, as usual, first sent a boat a-head to found. I had intended to fteer N. W. till I had made the fouth coaft of New Guinea, defigning, if poffible, to touch upon it; but upon meeting with these fhoals, I altered my course, in hopes of finding a clearer channel, and deeper water. In this I fucceeded, for by noon our depth of water was gradually increased to seventeen fathom. Our latitude was now by obfervation 10° 10' S.; and our longitude 220° 12′ W. No land was in fight. We continued to fteer weft till funset, our depth of water being from twenty-feven to twenty-three fathom: we then shortened fail, and kept upon a wind all night; four hours on one tack, and four on another. At day-light, we made all the fail we could, and fteered W. N. W. Monday 27. till eight o'clock, and then N. W. At noon, our latitude by obfervation was 9° 56′ S.; longitude 221° W.; variation 2o 30 E. We continued our N. W. courfe till funfet, when we again shortened fail, and hauled close upon a wind to the northward: our depth of water was twenty-one fathom. At eight, we tacked and flood to the fouthward till twelve; then flood to the northward with little fail till day-light: our foundings were from twenty-five to feventeen fathom, the water growing gradually fhallow as we flood to the north

Tuesday 23.