we came before an opening that had the appearance of
a good channel, through which we might go in for the
land. I wanted to get at it, not only to visit
it, but also to have an opportunity to observe an eclipse
of the sun which was soon to happen. With this
view we brought-to, hoisted out two armed boats, and
sent them to sound the channel; ten or twelve large
sailing canoes being then near us. We had observed
them coming off from the shore, all the morning, from
different parts; and some were lying on the reef,
fishing, as we supposed. As soon as they all got
together, they came down to us in a body, and were
pretty near when we were hoisting out our boats, which
probably gave them some alarm; for, without stopping,
they hauled in for the reef, and our boats followed
them. We now saw that what we had taken for openings
in the coast was low land, and that it was all connected,
except the western extremity, which was an island known
by the name of Balabea, as we afterwards learnt.
The boats having made a signal for a channel, and
one of them being placed on the point of the reef
on the weather side of it, we stood in with the ship,
and took up the other boat in our way, when the officer
informed me, that where we were to pass, was sixteen
and fourteen fathoms water, a fine sandy bottom, and
that having put alongside two canoes, he found the
people very obliging and civil.[2] They gave him some
fish; and, in return, he presented them with medals,
&c. In one was a stout robust young man, whom,
they understood to be a chief. After getting within
the reef, we hauled up S. 1/2 E., for a small low
sandy isle that we observed lying under the shore,
being followed by all the canoes. Our sounding
in standing in, was from fifteen to twelve fathoms
(a pretty even fine sandy bottom,) for about two miles;
then we had six, five, and four fathoms. This
was on the tail of a shoal which lies a little without
the small isle to the N.E. Being over it, we
found seven and eight fathoms water, which shallowed
gradually as we approached the shore, to three fathoms,
when we tacked and stood off a little, and then anchored
in five fathoms, the bottom a fine sand mixed with
mud. The little sandy isle bore E. by S., three-quarters
of a mile distant; and we were one mile from the shore
of the main, which extended from S.E. by E., round
to the south, to W.N.W. The island of Balabea
bore N.W. by N., and the channel, through which we
came, north, four miles distant. In this situation
we were extremely well sheltered from the reigning
winds, by the sandy isle and its shoals, and by the
shoal without them.
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