The land wind came from N. N. E.; and in the morning our course was pursued along the shore at the usual distance.  At eight o’clock the depth decreased to 21/2 fathoms, and obliged us to steer off, though five miles from the land; and when fair soundings were obtained, the tops of the trees only were visible from the deck.  At noon we had closed in again, the shore being distant five or six miles, and the depth 6 fathoms on a gravelly bottom; our latitude was 14 deg. 51’ 5”, longitude 141 deg. 33’, the extremes seen from the deck bore N. 29 deg. to S. 66 deg.  E., and a smoke was seen rising at S. 28 deg.  E. The sea breeze came in from the south-westward; but the trending of the coast being nearly S. S. E., we lay along it until past four o’clock, and then tacked off, in 3 fathoms; the nearest part of the land being distant two or three miles, and the extremes bearing N. 3 deg. and S. 7 deg.  W. At eight in the evening the breeze died away, and a stream anchor was dropped in 5 fathoms, mud and shells, five or six miles off shore; where the latitude from an observation of the moon was 15 deg. 5’ south.

FRIDAY 12 NOVEMBER 1802

At sunrise, next morning, the ship was steering southward with a land wind at east; and at seven o’clock we passed an opening near which several natives were collected.  The entrance seemed to be a full mile in width; but a spit from the south side runs so far across, that there is probably no access to it, unless for rowing boats:  its latitude is 15 deg. 12’ south, corresponding with a bight in the Dutch chart to the south of the second Water Plaets; and the variation, with the ship’s head in the meridian, was 4 deg. 43’ east.  Our course southward was continued at two or three miles from the shore, in 3 to 4 fathoms; but at eleven o’clock, the sea breeze having then set in, the depth diminished suddenly to 2 fathoms; and in tacking, the ship stirred up the mud.

The latitude at noon was 15 deg. 25’ 20”, and longitude 141 deg. 32’; at one o’clock we steered S. S. W., with the whale boat ahead, and carried from 4 to 6 fathoms until seven in the evening, when the stream anchor was dropped about four miles from the shore, in 5 fathoms, muddy bottom.  This depth had diminished at daylight [SATURDAY 13 NOVEMBER 1802] to 33/4 fathoms, after a tide had been setting nine hours to the N. by E.; and for the first time upon this coast it had run with some strength, the rate being one mile an hour.

We were again under way soon after five o’clock; and at six, being then four miles from the land, and steering S. S. W., a lagoon was seen from the mast head, over the front beach.  It has doubtless some communication with the sea, either by a constant, or a temporary opening, but none such could be perceived.  The latitude 15 deg. 53’ corresponds with that of Nassau River in the old chart; and from the examples already had of the Dutch rivers here,