As I intended to get to the south, in order to explore the land which might lie there, we continued to ply between the Isle of Lepers and Aurora; and on the 19th, at noon, the south end of the last-mentioned isle bore south 24 deg. east, and the north end north, distant twenty miles.  Latitude observed 15 deg. 11’.  The wind continued to blow strong at S.E., so that what we got by plying in the day, we lost in the night.  On the 20th, at sun-rise, we found ourselves off the south end of Aurora, on the N.W. side of which, the coast forms a small bay.  In this we made some trips to try for anchorage; but found no less than eighty fathoms water, the bottom a fine dark sand, at half a mile from shore.  Nevertheless, I am of opinion that, nearer, there is much less depth, and secure riding; and in the neighbourhood is plenty of fresh water and wood for fuel.  The whole isle, from the sea-shore to the summits of the hills, seemed to be covered with the latter; and every valley produced a fine stream of the former.[2] We saw people on the shore, and some canoes on the coast, but none came off to us.  Leaving the bay just mentioned, we stretched across the channel which divides Aurora from Whitsuntide Island.  At noon we were abreast the north end of this latter, which bore E.N.E., and observed in 15 deg. 28’ 1/2.  The isle of Aurora bore from N. to N.E. 1/2 east, and the Isle of Lepers from N. by W. 1/2 W. to west.  Whitsuntide Isle appeared joined to the land to the S. and S.W. of it; but in stretching to S.W. we discovered the separation.  This was about four o’clock p.m., and then we tacked and stretched in for the island till near sun-set, when the wind veering more to the east, made it necessary to resume our course to the south.  We saw people on the shore, smokes in many parts of the island, and several places which seemed to be cultivated.  About midnight, drawing near the south land, we tacked and stretched to the north, in order to spend the remainder of the night.

At day-break on the 21st, we found ourselves before the channel that divides Whitsuntide Island from the south land, which is about two leagues over.  At this time, the land to the southward extended from S. by E. round to the west, farther than the eye could reach, and on the part nearest to us, which is of considerable height, we observed two very large columns of smoke, which, I judged, ascended from volcanoes.  We now stood S.S.W., with a fine breeze at S.E.; and, at ten o’clock, discovered this part of the land to be an island, which is called by the natives Ambrym.  Soon after an elevated land appeared open off the south end of Ambrym; and after that, another still higher, on which is a high peaked hill.  We judged these lands to belong to two separate islands.  The first came in sight at S.E.; the second at E. by S., and they appeared to be ten leagues distant.  Holding on our course for the land ahead, at noon it was five miles distant from us, extending from