Having now congratulated ourselves upon getting within the reef, notwithstanding we had so lately congratulated ourselves upon getting without it, I resolved to keep the main-land on board in my future route to the northward, whatever the consequence might be; for if we had now gone without the reef again, it might have carried us so far from the coast as to prevent my being able to determine, whether this country did, or did not, join to New Guinea; a question which I was determined to resolve from my first coming within sight of land.  However, as I had experienced the disadvantage of having a boat under repair, at a time when it was possible I might want to use her, I determined to remain fast at anchor, till the pinnace was perfectly refitted.  As I had no employment for the other boats, I sent them out in the morning to the reef, to see what refreshments could be procured, and Mr Banks, in his little boat, accompanied by Dr Solander, went with them.  In this situation I found the variation by amplitude and azimuth to be 4 deg. 9’ E.; and at noon, our latitude by observation was 12 deg. 38’ S., and our longitude 216 deg. 45’ W. The main land extended from N. 66 W. to S.W. by S., and the nearest part of it was distant about nine leagues.  The opening through which we had passed I called Providential Channel; and this bore E.N.E. distant ten or twelve miles:  On the main land within us was a lofty promontory which I called Cape Weymouth; on the north side of which is a bay, which I called Weymouth Bay:  They lie in latitude 12 deg. 42’ S., longitude 217 deg. 15’ W. At four o’clock in the afternoon the boats returned with two hundred and forty pounds of the meat of shell-fish, chiefly of cockles, some of which were as much as two men could move, and contained twenty pounds of good meat.  Mr Banks also brought back many curious shells, and Mollusca; besides many species of coral, among which was that called the Tubipora musica.

At six o’clock in the morning, we got under sail and stood away to the N.W., having two boats ahead to direct us; our soundings were very irregular, varying five or six fathom every cast, between ten and twenty-seven.  A little before noon, we passed a low sandy island, which we left on our starboard-side, at the distance of two miles.  At noon, our latitude was 12 deg. 28’, and our distance from the main about four leagues:  It extended from S. by W. to N. 71 W., and some small islands from N. 40 W. to 54 W. Between us and the main were several shoals, and some without us, besides the main or outermost reef, which we could see from the mast-head, stretching away to the N.E.  At two in the afternoon, as we were steering N.W. by N. we saw a large shoal right ahead, extending three or four points upon each bow; upon this we hauled up N.N.E. and N.E. by N. to get round the north point of it, which we reached by four, and then edged away to the westward, and ran between the north end of this shoal and another, which lies