of islands between the S.E. end of Banka and the island of Borneo.  The S.E. end of Banka now bore N.N.E. 1/2 N. about two leagues off; and the land from this point to the entrance of the straits of Banka, lay W. by S. the straits being thirteen leagues from us.  Where we lay at anchor, the before-mentioned point bearing N. by E. 1/2 E. 2-1/2 leagues off, we had an observation of the sun, giving the latitude of the ship 3 deg. 8’ S. Having little hope of finding a passage between Banka and Borneo among these islands, by reason of the fearful shoalings we had already met with, we resolved on the 8th to go through the straits between the island of Banka and Sumatra, called the Straits of Banka; wherefore we set sail, retracing as nearly as we could the course by which we came into the present shoal water; in which course we found still more dangerous shoalings than in our in-coming.  After we had got about eight leagues off, S.S.W. from the before-mentioned point of Banka, we steered S.W. by W. the current setting N.W. which made our course nearest W. by S. In this course we proceeded five leagues, and anchored in 8 f. on ooze, about nine at night.

In the morning of the 9th, we descried Lucepara, N.N.W. seven leagues off, and steered towards it, till we had it N. two leagues.  In this course we passed over a spit, where we had only 4-1/2 f. and 4-3/4.  But on nearing Lucepara, we had 5-1/4 f. all ooze.  We then steered N.W. by N. till Lucepara was N.E. of us, having 5 f. and the same ground.  We then, went W.N.W. having always ooze, till we were within two leagues of the Sumatra shore in 6 f.  The isle of Lucepara bore then E.S.E. 3-1/2 leagues off; and a hill on Banka with a deep swamp, N. by W. being about a sail’s breadth open of the point of Sumatra, which bore N. by W. 1/2 W. from us, about three leagues off.  We steered thence away with the said point N. by W. Having 6-1/2 and 7 f. soft ground, till we came within a league of the point, where edging too near we had but 5-1/2, and only 4-1/2 in the boat hard by us:  But, if we had kept a little farther from the point, we might have gone in 7, 8, 9, and 10 f. all through the strait, borrowing carefully with the lead upon the Sumatra shore; whereas by keeping nearer to Banka than Sumatra, the soundings are very variable, sometimes deep, and sometimes shallow, and mostly foul ground.  On the Sumatra shore, even if coming into shoal water, the ground is mostly soft ooze, and the soundings far more regular and certain.

In the evening of the 12th May, having brought the N.W. point of Banka to bear N.E. we opened two smooth hills with a little hummock between them; one of these hills being the northermost land of Banka, and bearing N.E. nine leagues, from the N.W. point of that island.  This night we steered N.N.E. to get through the channel between Lingan and the N. end of Banka, having 23, 22, 20, 18, and 16 f. all ooze, till we came near the entrance, and afterwards 15, 14, 13 f. in going