he lee-shore: To
aggravate the misfortune, the weather was very hazy, there was no
anchorage, and the surf ran very high. In this dreadful situation she
made signals of distress, and we immediately sent our launch, and other
boats, to her assistance: The boats took her in tow, but their utmost
efforts to save her would have been ineffectual, if a breeze had not
suddenly came down from a mountain and wafted her off.

As a great swell came on about noon, we hauled over to the north shore.
We soon found ourselves surrounded with islands, but the fog was so
thick, that we knew not where we were, nor which way to steer. Among
these islands the boats were sent to cast the lead, but no anchorage was
to be found; we then conjectured that we were in the Bay of Islands, and
that we had no chance to escape shipwreck, but by hauling directly out:
This, however, was no easy task, for I was obliged to tack almost
continually, to weather some island or rock. At four o'clock in the
afternoon, it happily cleaned up for a minute, just to shew us Cape
Upright, for which we directly steered, and at half an hour after five
anchored, with the Swallow, in the bay. When we dropped the anchor, we
were in twenty-four fathom, and after we had veered away a whole cable,
in forty-six, with a muddy bottom. In this situation, a high bluff on
the north shore bore N.W. 1/2 N. distant five leagues, and a small
island within us S. by E. 1/2 E. Soon after we had anchored, the Swallow
drove to leeward, notwithstanding she had two anchors a-head, but was at
last brought up, in seventy fathom, about a cable's length a-stern of
us. At four o'clock in the morning I sent the boats, with a considerable
number of men, and some hawsers and anchors, on board her, to weigh her
anchors, and warp her up to windward. When her best-bower anchor was
weighed, it was found entangled with the small one; I therefore found it
necessary to send the stream-cable on board, and the ship was hung up by
it. To clear her anchors, and warp her into a proper birth, cost us the
whole day, and was not at last effected without the utmost difficulty
and labour.

On the 18th we had fresh breezes, and sent the boats to sound cross the
streight. Within half-a-mile of the ship, they had forty, forty-five,
fifty, seventy, one hundred fathom, and then had no ground, till within
a cable's length of the lee-shore, where they had ninety fathom. We now
moored the ship in seventy-eight fathom, with