udded with a
scrubby vegetation; in the interior we perceived a range of hills of
tabular form which are probably very high. At ten o'clock we passed
another patch of breakers at the distance of about a mile and a half; but
these appeared to have no connexion with those seen at nine o'clock. Our
soundings were between fifteen and seventeen fathoms, and our distance
from the beach from six to seven miles. At noon the wind veered back to
South-South-West and blew hard: we were at this time in 29 degrees 5
minutes 1 second South and by chronometers in 114 degrees 40 minutes 30
seconds East; by which we found that a current had set us during the last
twenty-four hours to the North-North-West at one mile per hour. At
half-past twelve o'clock more breakers were seen bearing North-West 1/2
North, when we hauled off West-North-West in order to ascertain the
distance between the land and the Abrolhos bank which, in Van Keulen's
chart, is placed abreast of this part of the coast.

At half-past four o'clock the masthead man was cautioned to look out for
breakers and in less than half an hour afterwards he reported some
bearing North-West by North. On going to the masthead I saw them
distinctly for they were not more than four miles off, and on looking
round the horizon towards the westward, distinctly saw the island of
Frederick Houtman's Abrolhos, which for some time the masthead man
persisted was only the shadow of the clouds; but a small hummock being
soon afterwards descried upon the summit of the largest, confirmed my
conjectures. The group appeared to consist of three islands, all low and
of small size. Beyond and around them the sea was smooth and to the
southward another patch of breakers was observed. Preparations were now
made to tack off, but I had scarcely reached the deck when the lookout
man reported rocks under our lee bow, upon which the helm was immediately
put up; and when the vessel's head was round upon the opposite tack the
following bearings were taken:

Island of the Abrolhos: eight miles off, between West and South 75
degrees West.

Breakers: four miles off, North-North-West North.

Another patch: seven miles off, South-West.

And the small rock patch, half a mile off, West.

This last I did not see myself but two men perceived it distinctly from
the masthead, and it is from their accounts that I am induced to give it
a place upon the chart. The position of the vessel when we saw the
breakers was in