and astronomical instruments on shore, and commenced, without delay, to put them in use. The water here was quite fresh, so that we enjoyed a strong cup of tea, which removed the headach, caused by want of sleep.
We took altitudes of the sun, to ascertain the longitude by means of the pocket chronometers, and also for double altitudes, the sun passing too near the zenith to admit of his meridional altitude being taken. After having waited until the sun's declining altitude was equal to what we had observed in the forenoon, we thought it might be as well to proceed up the river, as there were no signs of the arrival of the Governor or any of his party, although the time, agreed on for our meeting, was long past.
We accordingly resumed our way; but our progress was soon impeded by shallow water, and we were further puzzled as to which channel (of which there were several) was the best.
A channel being at length selected, chiefly from the recent track of a boat's keel, which we meant to follow, we were all obliged to get out, and shove the boat along for some distance, when the channel contracted to about ten feet wide, and from two to five feet deep.
Proceeding up this a short distance, we met a boat belonging to the brig Thompson, and, ere long, discovered her worthy commander in possession of one of the islets, on which he invited us to land, with as much
