In the afternoon, the boat was hoisted out in order to try the current, when it was found to set east by south, at the rate of a mile and an half an hour; however, the current among these islands is by no means certain, as we found, on the 22d, a strong current or tide setting to the north-west.  A great number of very large whales were seen, which moved exceeding slow, and came very near the vessel.  At noon, the center of Burro bore south, and the south point of Sulla Bessi, north 76 deg. west.  Burro is a very high island, and may be seen at the distance of twenty leagues with great ease.

As the following latitudes and longitudes were taken with great exactness, they perhaps may not be unacceptable.

South latitude.   East longitude.
deg.  ’               deg.  ’
East point of Burro                3  7            126 38
West point of ditto                3  4            125 41
North-east point of Sulla Mangol   2  0            126  3
South point of Sulla Bessi         2 29            125 57

In the afternoon of the 23d, being clear of the south point of Burro, we found a strong south-east trade, with which we steered south-south-west.  We passed a great quantity of drift wood, and some very large trees with both roots and branches to them, some of which were so large as to be taken for vessels.

In the morning of the 25th, we saw two small islands bearing south-east about six miles distant; we imagined them to be the northernmost of the small islands, called Touchaeilly, in the charts:  soon afterwards, we saw land bearing south-west, which we took to be Bouton, but we soon perceived it to be three islands lying nearly north and south.  At this time, our longitude, by the time-keeper, was 123 deg. 39’ east, and the latitude, by two altitudes, was 5 deg. 36’ south.

Concluding the islands we saw in the morning were those of St. Matthew’s, and the others Touchaeilly, we bore up in order to run between the northernmost and middle of three islands in sight.  In our run from Burro to St. Matthew’s Island, we found a strong current setting to the south-east.  St. Matthew’s Islands are situated in 5 deg. 23’ south latitude, and 123 deg. 51’ east longitude.  With a moderate breeze from the south-east, we steered west-south-west between the Toucaheilly Islands; and at noon on the 26th, we passed a sandy key, which had a tuft of green bushes on its north end, and its south end runs off in a long spit for three or four miles, on which the sea breaks very high.  These islands are covered with wood, and well cultivated.

At four o’clock in the afternoon we hove to, and soon afterwards a small proa came alongside loaded with cocoa-nuts, which we purchased.  The people in this canoe gave us to understand, that the island on our starboard hand was called -Combado_, and that on the larboard Toucambaso.  At half past four, we made sail, and soon afterwards, a man, who was stationed at the mast-head, said he saw a shoal a-head of the vessel; on this we looked out, and saw a reef about six miles distant, extending from the west-north-west as far as the eye could reach in a south-east direction:  on this, we hauled the wind and lay under Combado during the night.