the shore, and having nine fathom water, we bore away along the coast N.W. by W. and at the same time could see land extending to the S.S.E. about eight leagues.  Near the sea the land is very low, but within there are some lofty hills, all thickly clothed with, wood.  While we were running along the shore, we shallowed our water from nine to seven fathom, and at one time we had but six, which determined us to anchor for the night.

At six in the morning we weighed, with a gentle breeze from the southward, and steered N.W. 1/4 W. edging in for the land till we got within two miles of it, with water from seven to eleven fathom; we then steered N.N.W. as the land lay, and at noon, our latitude was 24 deg. 19’.  We continued in the same course, at the same distance, with from twelve fathom to seven, till five in the evening, when we were abreast of the south point of a large open bay, in which I intended to anchor.  During this course, we discovered with our glasses that the land was covered with palm-nut trees, which we had not seen from the time of our leaving the islands within the tropic; we also saw two men walking along the shore, who did not condescend to take the least notice of us.  In the evening, having hauled close upon a wind, and made two or three trips, we anchored about eight o’clock in five fathom, with a fine sandy bottom.  The south point of the bay bore E. 3/4 S. distant two miles, the north point N.W. 1/4 N. and about the same distance from the shore.

Early the next morning I went ashore, with a party of men, in order to examine the country, accompanied by Mr Banks, Dr Solander, the other gentlemen, and Tupia:  The wind blew fresh, and we found it so cold, that being at some distance from the shore, we took our cloaks as a necessary equipment for the voyage.  We landed a little within the south point of the bay, where we found a channel leading into a large lagoon:  This channel I proceeded to examine, and found three fathom water till I got about a mile up it, where I met with a shoal, upon which there was little more than one fathom; but having passed over it, I had three fathom again.  The entrance of this channel lies close to the south point of the bay, being formed by the shore on the east, and on the west by a large spit of sand:  It is about a quarter of a mile broad, and lies in S. by W. In this place there is room for a few ships to lie in great security, and a small stream of fresh water; I would have rowed into the lagoon, but was prevented by shallows.  We found several bogs, and swamps of salt water, upon which, and by the sides of the lagoon, grows the true mangrove, such as is found in the West Indies, and the first of the kind that we had met with.  In the branches of these mangroves there were many nests of a remarkable kind of ant, that was as green as grass:  When the branches were disturbed they came out in great numbers, and punished the offender by a much sharper bite than ever we had felt from the same kind of animal before.[75]