behind us.  About half a mile from Carteret Point, we had sixty fathom, with a bottom of sand and coral.  From this point the land trends away W.S.W. and S.W. forming a deep lagoon, at the mouth of which lies an island, that with the main forms two entrances into it.  The island we called Trevanion’s Island.  This entrance is about two miles wide, and the lagoon, if there is anchorage in it, is certainly a fine harbour for shipping.  After crossing the first entrance, and coming off the north-west part of Trevanion’s Island, which we called Cape Trevanion, we saw a great rippling, and therefore sent the boat off to sound.  We had, however, no bottom with fifty fathom; the rippling being caused only by the meeting of the tides.  Having hauled round this cape, we found the land trend to the southward; and we continued to stand along the shore till we opened the western passage into the lagoon between Trevanion’s Island and the main.  In this place, both the main and the island appeared to be one continued town, and the inhabitants were innumerable.  We sent a boat to examine this entrance or passage, and found the bottom to be coral and rock, with very irregular soundings over it.  As soon as the natives saw the boat leave the ship, they sent off several armed canoes to attack her.  The first that came within bow-shot discharged her arrows at the people on board, who, being ready, fired a volley, by which one of the Indians was killed, and another wounded; at the same time we fired a great gun from the ship, loaded with grape-shot, among them; upon which they all pulled back to the shore with great precipitation, except the canoe which began the attack; and that being secured by the boat’s crew, with the wounded man in her, was brought to the ship.  I immediately ordered the Indian to be taken on board, and the surgeon to examine his wounds.  It appeared that one shot had gone through his head, and that his arm was broken by another:  The surgeon was of opinion that the wound in his head was mortal; I therefore ordered him to be put again into his canoe, and, notwithstanding his condition, he paddled away towards the shore.  He was a young man, with a woolly head, like that of the negroes, and a small beard, but he was well-featured, and not so black as the natives of Guinea.  He was of the common stature, and, like all the rest of the people whom we had seen upon this island, quite naked.  His canoe was very small, and of rude workmanship, being nothing more than part of the trunk of a tree made hollow; it had, however, an outrigger, but none of them had sails.

We found this place to be the western extremity of the island on the north side, and that it lay in exactly the same latitude as the eastern extremity on the same side.  The distance between them is about fifty miles due east and west, and a strong current sets westward along the shore.