ore dark, we therefore made the signal for the
boat, and bore away.

The northermost point in sight from the ship was, according to
the sketch made in the Swallow, Point Carteret; we considered the
north-west entrance as near to that point, but intended of course
to avail ourselves of being to windward to go in at the
southermost passage. The distance, as I have already mentioned,
being marked four leagues from Wallis's Island to Carteret
harbour, unfortunately deceived us; and Cocoa-nut island being
low, when compared with the high land under which it lies,
appeared like a low point projecting from it: we were past the
south entrance of this harbour, before we thought ourselves
within six miles of it, and had now a strong south-east wind,
which two hours sooner, would have enabled us to have got into
English Cove, in Gower harbour: the distance from harbour to
harbour did not appear to me to be more than two leagues, if so
much. It was our misfortune, that the distances marked in the
sketch just mentioned, did not agree with our judgment of
them.

And there is another error which I must take the liberty to
correct, and which also tended to deceive us; Point Carteret, in
the Swallow's sketch, is the extremity of the land westward,
which can be seen from a ship off Gower harbour, and the land
from that point inclines immediately to the northward; but there
is a point which lies north-west from Point Carteret, not less
than four miles, and from that point the land trends to the
northward: this point comes suddenly down from very high land to
a round bluff point, which is steep to, and Point Carteret is low
and woody. We discovered our mistake when it was too late to
recover it in such a vessel.

We ran along the shore close in, and endeavoured to find
anchorage; we had also a boat a-head for the same purpose, but
although we went sometimes within a cable's length of the shore,
we could not find bottom. Our situation now became serious, for
our water was become short, and we had yet a long voyage before
us; it was now absolutely necessary to look for some supply of
that article, and as we were only victualled for sixteen weeks
when we left Port Jackson, and had already been eight at sea, we
could not on that account lose much time, lest we should meet
with calms as we came near the Line. Full allowance of water, in
so sultry a climate, and so crowded a ship, was a matter which I
was exceedingly anxious about, for wi