To this spot we gave the name of Eagle Island, and after leaving it, we steered S.W. directly for the ship, sounding all the way, and we had never less than eight fathom, nor more than fourteen; the same depth of water that I had found between this and Lizard Island.

When I got on board, the master informed me that he had been down to the low islands, between which and the main I had directed him to sound; that he judged them to lie about three leagues from the main; that without them he found from ten to fourteen fathom, and between them and the main seven:  But that a flat, which ran two leagues out from the main, made this channel narrow.  Upon one of these low islands he slept, and was ashore upon others; and he reported, that he saw every where piles of turtle-shells; and fins hanging upon the trees in many places, with the flesh upon them, so recent, that the boats crew eat of them:  He saw also two spots, clear of grass, which appeared to have been lately dug up, and from the shape and size of them, he conjectured they were graves.

After considering what I had seen myself, and the report of the master, I was of opinion that the passage to leeward would be dangerous, and that, by keeping in with the main, we should run the risk of being locked in by the great reef, and at last be compelled to return back in search of another passage, by which, or any other accident that should cause the same delay, we should infallibly lose our passage to the East Indies, and endanger the ruin of the voyage, as we had now but little more than three months provisions on board at short allowance.

Having stated this opinion, and the facts and appearances upon which it was founded, to the officers, it was unanimously agreed, that the best thing we could do would be to quit the coast altogether, till we could approach it with less danger.

In the morning, therefore, at break of day, we got under sail, and stood out N.E. for the north-west end of Lizard Island, leaving Eagle Island to windward, and some other islands and shoals to the leeward, and having the pinnace a-head to ascertain the depth of water in every part of our course.  In this channel we had from nine to fourteen fathom.  At noon, the north-west end of Lizard Island bore E.S.E. distant one mile; our latitude, by observation, was 14 deg. 38’, and our depth of water fourteen fathom.  We had a steady gale at S.E. and by two o’clock we just fetched to windward of one of the channels or openings in the outer reef, which I had seen from the island.  We now tacked, and made a short trip to the S.W. while the master, in the pinnace, examined the channel:  He soon made the signal for the ship to follow, and in a short time she got safe out.  As soon as we had got without the breakers, we had no ground with one hundred and fifty fathom, and found a large sea rolling in from the S.E. a certain sign that neither land nor shoals were near us in that direction.