On Saturday, the 10th., the breeze blew strongly from the S. E., attended with frequent showers, and a completely obscured sky. Towards the evening, the clouds dispersed, the wind became lighter, and throughout the night the sky continued clear. At eight o'clock, P.M. of the 11th, we were in the parallel of Diana's Bank. A few minutes afterwards, the watch on the forecastle called out, "breakers on the leebow," and "right a-head!" This intelligence caused considerable alarm. The ship was instantly hove in the wind: some declared they not only saw broken water, but the land very distinctly, and pretended to point it out to others, who were rather sceptical, yet, after the most careful inspection, neither the one nor the other could be perceived. The panic having subsided, we resumed our course direct for the Eastern Fields, and at one o'clock in the morning of the 15th, being in latitude 10° 12' and in longitude 146° 20' east, we shortened sail, expecting to be up with these reefs by day-break.
Shortly afterwards, however, it fell calm, and continued so till next morning, when the breeze sprung up; and at seven, A.M., we descried the "Eastern Fields" right a-head: at noon we were in latitude 10° 2', and, by lunar observations, brought forward by chronometer, in longitude 145° 49'; the north-east extremity of the reef (which, according to Flinders, is in latitude 10° 2' and longitude 145° 45') bearing west; distant from two to three miles. The chronometer
