to be uninhabited. We were close in with
the southermost, which proved to be a slip of land in the form of a
half-moon, low, flat, and sandy: From the south end of it a reef runs
out to the distance of about half a mile, on which the sea breaks with
great fury. We found no anchorage, but the boat landed. It had a
pleasant appearance, but afforded neither vegetables nor water; there
were however many birds upon it, so tame that they suffered themselves
to be taken by hand. The other island very much resembles this, and is
distant from it about five or six leagues: They lie W.N.W. and E.S.E. of
each other. One of them is in latitude 20 deg. 38'S., longitude 146 deg.W.; the
other 20 deg.34'S., longitude 146 deg. 15' W., and we called them the Duke of
Gloucester's Islands; the variation here is five degrees east. These
islands are probably the land seen by Quiros, as the situation is nearly
the same; but if not, the land he saw could not be more considerable:
Whatever it was, he went to the southward of it, and the long billows we
had here, convinced us that there was no land near us in that direction.
The wind here being to the eastward, I hauled to the southward again,
and the next day, Monday the 13th, in the evening, as we were steering
W.S.W. we observed that we lost the long southerly billows, and that we
got them again at seven o'clock the next day. When we lost them we were
in latitude 21 deg.7'S., longitude 147 deg.4' W.; and when we got them again we
were in latitude 21 deg. 43 S., longitude 149 deg.48'W; so that I imagine there
was some land to the southward, not far distant.[57]

[Footnote 57: The Islands called Oheteroa, Toobouai, Vabouai, Vavitoo,
lie a little to the south of this part of Carteret's track.--E.]

From this time to the 16th, the winds were variable from N.E. round by
the N. the N.W. and S.W. and blew very hard, with violent gusts, one of
which was very near being fatal to us, with thick weather and hard rain.
We were then in latitude 22 deg. S., and 70 deg.30'W. of our departure, where we
found the variation 6 deg.30'E. and the tempestuous gales were succeeded by
a dead calm. After some time, however, the wind sprung up again at west,
and at length settled in the W.S.W. which soon drove us again to the
northward, so that on the 20th we were in latitude 19 deg. S., longitude
75 deg.30'W. of our departure: The variation was here 6 deg.E.

On the 22d, we were got into latitude 18 deg.S., longitude