obliged to anchor, in forty fathom, within two cables'
length of the shore. The tide flows here, at the full and change of the
moon, about two o'clock, and runs full six knots an hour.

At one o'clock the next morning, we weighed, with a light northerly
breeze; and about three, we passed the first narrow a second time.
Having now seen the ship safe through, and being quite exhausted with
fatigue, as I had been upon the deck all the preceding day, and all
night, I went into my cabin to get some rest. I lay down, and soon fell
asleep; but in less than half an hour, I was awakened by the beating of
the ship upon a bank: I instantly started up, and ran upon the deck,
where I soon found that we had grounded upon a hard sand. It was happy
for us, that at this time it was stark calm; and I immediately ordered
out the boats to carry an anchor astern, where the water was deepest:
The anchor took the ground, but before we could work the capstern, in
order to heave the ship off to it, she went off, by the mere rising of
the tide. It happened fortunately to be just low water when she went
aground, and there was fifteen feet forward, and six fathom a very
little way astern. The master told me, that at the last cast of the
lead, before we were aground, he had thirteen fathom; so that the water
shoaled at once no less than sixty-three feet.

This bank, which has not been mentioned by any navigator who has passed
the streight, is extremely dangerous; especially as it lies directly in
the fair way between Cape Virgin Mary and the first narrow, and just in
the middle between the south and north shores. It is more than two
leagues long, and full as broad; in many places also it is very steep.
When we were upon it, Point Possession bore N.E. distant three leagues;
and the entrance of the narrow S.W. distant two leagues. I afterwards
saw many parts of it dry, and the sea breaking very high over other
parts of it, where the water was shallow. A ship that should ground upon
this shoal in a gale of wind, would probably be very soon beaten to
pieces.

About six o'clock in the morning, we anchored in fifteen fathom, the
shoal bearing N.N.W.1/2 W. at the distance of about half a mile. At noon,
we weighed with a light breeze at N.E. and worked with the ebb tide till
two; but finding the water shoal, we anchored again in six fathom and a
half, at about the distance of half a mile from the south side of the
shoal; the Asses' Ears then bearing N.W.