The next morning, we saw several ducks and shags, some small land birds, and a great number of horse-flies about the ship; but had no ground with 160 fathom.  The incessant and heavy rain had kept every man on board constantly wet to the skin for more than two days and two nights; the weather was still very dark, and the sea was continually breaking over the ship.

On the 27th, the darkness, rain, and tempest continuing, a mountainous sea that broke over us, staved all the half-ports to pieces on the starboard side, broke all the iron stanchions on the gunwale, washed the boat off the skids, and carried many things overboard.  We had, however, this day, a gleam of sunshine, sufficient to determine our latitude, which we found to be 20 deg.50’N., and the ship appeared to be fifty minutes north of her reckoning.

The weather now became more moderate.  At noon, on the 28th, we altered our course, steering S. by W.; and at half an hour after one, we saw the Bashee Islands bearing from S. by E. to S.S.E. distant about six leagues.  These islands are all high, but the northermost is higher than the rest.  By an observation made this day, we found Grafton Island to lie in the longitude of 239 deg.  W. and in latitude of 21 deg. 4’ N. At midnight, the weather being very dark, with sudden gusts of wind, we missed Edmund Morgan, a marine tailor, whom we supposed to have fallen overboard, having reason to fear that he had drunk more than his allowance.

From this time, to the 3d of November, we found the ship every day from ten to fifteen miles north of her reckoning.  The day before we had seen several gannets; but upon sounding many times during the day and the next night, we had no ground with 160 fathom.  This morning, at seven o’clock, we saw a ledge of breakers bearing S.W. at the distance of about three miles:  We hauled off from them, and at eleven saw more breakers bearing S.W. by S. distant about five miles.  At noon, we hauled off the east end of them, from which we were not distant more than a quarter of a mile.

The first shoal lies in latitude 11 deg. 8’ N.; longitude, from Bashee Islands, 8 deg.  W.

The second shoal lies in latitude 10 deg. 46’ N.; longitude of the N.E. end, from Bashee Islands, 8 deg. 13’ W.

We saw much foul ground to the S. and S.S.E. but had no bottom with 150 fathom.  Before one, however, we saw shoal water on the larboard bow, and standing from it, passed another ledge at two.  At three, we saw a low sandy point, which I called Sandy Isle, bearing N. 1/2 E. distant about two miles.  At five, we saw a small island, which I called Small Key, bearing N. by E. distant about five miles; and soon after, another larger, which I called Long Island, beyond it.  At six in the evening, the largest island being distant between two and three leagues, we brought-to, and stood off and on from mid-night till break of day, continually sounding, but having no ground.