ark, and the sea was continually breaking over
the ship.

On the 27th, the darkness, rain, and tempest continuing, a mountainous
sea that broke over us, staved all the half-ports to pieces on the
starboard side, broke all the iron stanchions on the gunwale, washed the
boat off the skids, and carried many things overboard. We had, however,
this day, a gleam of sunshine, sufficient to determine our latitude,
which we found to be 20 deg.50'N., and the ship appeared to be fifty minutes
north of her reckoning.

The weather now became more moderate. At noon, on the 28th, we altered
our course, steering S. by W.; and at half an hour after one, we saw the
Bashee Islands bearing from S. by E. to S.S.E. distant about six
leagues. These islands are all high, but the northermost is higher than
the rest. By an observation made this day, we found Grafton Island to
lie in the longitude of 239 deg. W. and in latitude of 21 deg. 4' N. At
midnight, the weather being very dark, with sudden gusts of wind, we
missed Edmund Morgan, a marine tailor, whom we supposed to have fallen
overboard, having reason to fear that he had drunk more than his
allowance.

From this time, to the 3d of November, we found the ship every day from
ten to fifteen miles north of her reckoning. The day before we had seen
several gannets; but upon sounding many times during the day and the
next night, we had no ground with 160 fathom. This morning, at seven
o'clock, we saw a ledge of breakers bearing S.W. at the distance of
about three miles: We hauled off from them, and at eleven saw more
breakers bearing S.W. by S. distant about five miles. At noon, we hauled
off the east end of them, from which we were not distant more than a
quarter of a mile.

The first shoal lies in latitude 11 deg. 8' N.; longitude, from Bashee
Islands, 8 deg. W.

The second shoal lies in latitude 10 deg. 46' N.; longitude of the N.E. end,
from Bashee Islands, 8 deg. 13' W.

We saw much foul ground to the S. and S.S.E. but had no bottom with 150
fathom. Before one, however, we saw shoal water on the larboard bow, and
standing from it, passed another ledge at two. At three, we saw a low
sandy point, which I called _Sandy Isle_, bearing N. 1/2 E. distant
about two miles. At five, we saw a small island, which I called _Small
Key_, bearing N. by E. distant about five miles; and soon after, another
larger, which I called _Long Island_, beyond it. At six in the evening,
the largest island be