Between the N. point and a distant head-land which we saw to the S.W., the land bends inward considerably, and appeared likely to afford a good road.  We therefore directed our course along the shore, at the distance of about a mile, carrying regular soundings from twenty to thirteen fathoms.  At a quarter past two, the sight of a fine river, running through a deep valley, induced us to come to an anchor in thirteen fathoms water, with a sandy bottom; the extreme points of the bay bearing S.W. by W. 1/2 W., and N.E. by E. 3/4 E., and the mouth of the river S.E. 1/2 E., one mile distant.  In the afternoon I attended the two captains on shore, where we found but few of the natives, and those mostly women; the men, they told us, were gone to Morotoi to fight Tahyterree, but that their chief, Perreeoranee, who had stayed behind, would certainly visit us as soon as he heard of our arrival.

We were much disappointed to find the water had a brackish taste for two hundred yards up the river, owing to the marshy ground through which it empties itself into the sea.  Beyond this it was perfectly fresh, and formed a fine running stream, along the side of which I walked till I came to the conflux of two small rivulets, that branched off to the right and left of a remarkably steep and romantic mountain.  The banks of this river, and indeed the whole we saw of the N.W. part of Woahoo, are well cultivated, and full of villages; and the face of the country is uncommonly beautiful and picturesque.

As the watering at this place would have been attended with great labour, I was sent to examine the coast to leeward; but not being able to land, on account of a reef of coral which stretched along the shore to the distance of half a mile, Captain Clerke determined, without farther loss of time, to proceed to Atooi.  At eight in the morning we weighed, and stood to the northward till day-light on the 28th, when we bore away for that island, which we were in sight of by noon; and about sun-set, were off its eastern extremity, which shews itself in a fine green flat point.

It being too late to run for the road on the S.W. side of the island, where we had been the last year, we passed the night in plying on and off, and at nine the next morning, came to an anchor in twenty-five fathoms water, and moored with the best bower in thirty-eight fathoms, the bluff-head on the west side of the village, bearing N.E. by N. 3/4 E., two miles distant; the extremes of the island, N.W. by W. 3/4 W., and S.E. by E. 1/2 E.; the island Oneeheow W. by S. 1/2 W. In running down to the road, from the S.E. point of the island, we saw the appearance of shoal water in several places, at a considerable distance from the land; and when we were about two miles to the eastward of the anchoring-place, and two or three miles from the shore, we got into four and a half fathoms water, although our soundings had usually been seven and eight fathoms.