cquainted with the channel.

At six o'clock the next morning, I weighed and sailed between Elizabeth
and Bartholomew Islands, with the wind at N.W. and after steering S.S.W.
five or six miles, we crossed a bank, where among the weeds we had seven
fathom water. This bank lies W.S.W. five or six miles from the middle of
George's Island, and it is said in some former accounts that in many
places there is not three fathom water upon it; the danger here
therefore is considerable, and to avoid it, it is necessary to keep near
Elizabeth's Island, till the western shore is but at a short distance,
and then a southern course may be steered with great safety, till the
reef, which lies about four miles to the northward of Saint Anne's
Point, is in sight. At noon this day, the north point of Fresh Water Bay
bore W. by N. and Saint Anne's Point S. by E. 1/2 E. The French ship
still steered after us, and we imagined that she was either from
Falkland's Islands, where the French had then a settlement, to get wood,
or upon a survey of the strait. The remaining part of this day, and the
next morning, we had variable winds with calms; in the afternoon
therefore I hoisted out the boats, and towed round Saint Anne's Point
into Port Famine; at six in the evening we anchored, and soon after the
French ship passed by us to the southward.

Here we continued till Monday the 25th, when both the Dolphin and Tamar
having taken out of the store-ship as much provision as they could stow,
I gave the master of her orders to return to England as soon as he could
get ready, and with the Tamar sailed from Port Famine, intending to push
through the streight before the season should be too far advanced.[28]
At noon we were three leagues distant from Saint Anne's Point, which
bore N.W. and three or four miles distant from Point Shutup, which bore
S.S.W. Point Shutup bears from Saint Anne's Point S. 1/2 E. by the
compass, and they are about four or five leagues asunder. Between these
two points there is a flat shoal, which runs from Port Famine before
Sedger river, and three or four miles to the southward.

[Footnote 28: "At taking our leave of the store-ship, our boatswain, and
all that were sick on board the Dolphin and Tamar, obtained leave to
return in her to England; the commodore in the mean time openly
declaring to the men in general, that if any of them were averse to
proceeding on the voyage, they had free liberty to return; an offer
which only one