At seven o’clock we were about a mile and a half from a reef that nearly crossed our course; and as it was time to haul off for the night we shortened sail and brought to the wind, then blowing a strong squally breeze from south; but notwithstanding this succession of bad weather, the mercury in the barometer had ranged steadily between 29.90 and 29.92 inches.

January 17.

At daybreak we steered in for the land but ran twenty-two miles before it was seen.  At nine o’clock it bore between North-East and South-East, and at a quarter after nine heavy breakers were seen in the South-East at the distance of five miles.  The weather was now fine and the wind South-South-East, but still blew strong; the horizon was so enveloped by haze that the land, although not more than seven miles from our track, was very indistinctly seen:  it seemed to be formed of sandhills, from one hundred to one hundred and fifty feet high, slightly studded with a scrubby vegetation; in the interior we perceived a range of hills of tabular form which are probably very high.  At ten o’clock we passed another patch of breakers at the distance of about a mile and a half; but these appeared to have no connexion with those seen at nine o’clock.  Our soundings were between fifteen and seventeen fathoms, and our distance from the beach from six to seven miles.  At noon the wind veered back to South-South-West and blew hard:  we were at this time in 29 degrees 5 minutes 1 second South and by chronometers in 114 degrees 40 minutes 30 seconds East; by which we found that a current had set us during the last twenty-four hours to the North-North-West at one mile per hour.  At half-past twelve o’clock more breakers were seen bearing North-West 1/2 North, when we hauled off West-North-West in order to ascertain the distance between the land and the Abrolhos bank which, in Van Keulen’s chart, is placed abreast of this part of the coast.

At half-past four o’clock the masthead man was cautioned to look out for breakers and in less than half an hour afterwards he reported some bearing North-West by North.  On going to the masthead I saw them distinctly for they were not more than four miles off, and on looking round the horizon towards the westward, distinctly saw the island of Frederick Houtman’s Abrolhos, which for some time the masthead man persisted was only the shadow of the clouds; but a small hummock being soon afterwards descried upon the summit of the largest, confirmed my conjectures.  The group appeared to consist of three islands, all low and of small size.  Beyond and around them the sea was smooth and to the southward another patch of breakers was observed.  Preparations were now made to tack off, but I had scarcely reached the deck when the lookout man reported rocks under our lee bow, upon which the helm was immediately put up; and when the vessel’s head was round upon the opposite tack the following bearings were taken: 

Island of the Abrolhos:  eight miles off, between West and South 75 degrees West.