cerned ſeveral iſlands that lay around it. When we had got within four or five miles of the North Eaſt end, I ſent a boat away with the chief mate, to ſearch for an anchoring place; though, at times, I could not ſee the jib-boom end, ſo thick and frequent were the ſhowers. At noon, the boat returned, having been in a bay near the North end of the iſle, which was ſmall, and open to the North Eaſt, with great depth of water, within three quarters of a mile of the ſhore. As this deſcription did not anſwer to that of Mr. Wafer's bay, I ſtood in to examine it, as I could not have ventured to anchor in deep water, with a crippled windlaſs that occupied two hours, in a ſtart calm, to heave in nineteen fathoms of cable: beſides, the tide, which I found afterwards ſetting on both points of the bay, was ſo ſtrong, that if the boats had not been very ready, the ſhip muſt have gone on ſhore; and, if in ſuch a ſituation, there had been an anchor to heave up, it muſt have been cut away. I therefore ordered the boats to examine more to the Weſtward, and they accordingly diſcovered Mr. Wafer's harbour[1]. The land of
- ↑
Extract from Mr. Wafer's Voyage, who was at Anchor in this Bay, in 1685.
Some or other of our men went on ſhore every day; and, one day among the reſt, being minded to make themſelves very merry, they went on ſhore, and cut down a great many cocoa trees, from which they gathered the fruit, and drew
