d at about two miles and a half in forty and
forty-five fathom, with a fine black sand at the bottom. This author
also says, that "there is a reef of rocks running off the eastern point
of the island about two miles in length, which may be seen by the sea's
breaking over them;" but in this he is mistaken, there is no reef of
rocks, or shoal running off the eastern point, but there is a reef of
rocks and sand running off the western side, near the south end of it.
He is also mistaken as to the distance of this island from Juan
Fernandes, and its direction, for he says the distance is twenty-two
leagues, and the direction W. by S., but we found the distance nearly
one-third more, and the direction is due west, for, as I have before
observed, the latitude of both islands is nearly the same. The goats
that he mentions we found upon it in the same abundance, and equally
easy to be caught.

On the south-west point of the island there is a remarkable rock with a
hole in it, which is a good mark to come to an anchor on the western
side, where there is the best bank of any about the place. About a mile
and a half to the northward of this hole, there is a low point of land,
and from this point runs the reef that has been just mentioned, in the
direction of W. by S. to the distance of about three quarters of a mile,
where the sea continually breaks upon it. To anchor, run in till the
hole in the rock is shut in, about a cable's length upon this low point
of land, then bearing S. by E. 1/2 E. and anchor in twenty and
twenty-two fathom, fine black sand and shells: There is anchorage also
at several places on the other sides of the island, particularly off the
north point, in fourteen and fifteen fathom, with fine sand.

There is plenty of wood and water all round the island, but they are not
to be procured without much difficulty. A great quantity of stones, and
large fragments of the rock, have fallen from the high land all round
the island, and upon these there breaks such a surf that a boat cannot
safely come within a cable's length of the shore; there is therefore no
landing here but by swimming from the boat, and then mooring her without
the rocks, nor is there any method of getting off the wood and water but
by hauling them to the boat with ropes: There are, however, many places
where it would be very easy to make a commodious landing by building a
wharf, which it would be worth while even for a single ship to do if
she was t