About eight in the evening, a light breeze springing up, which fixed at S.S.E., we steered N.W. and N.N.W., round Cape Newenham, which, at noon next day, bore S. by E., distant four leagues.  At this time the most advanced land to the northward bore N., 30 deg.  E.; our depth of water was seventeen fathoms, and the nearest shore 3-1/2 leagues distant.  We had but little wind all the afternoon; so that, at ten at night, we had only made three leagues upon a north course.

We steered N. by W. till eight the next morning, when, our depth of water decreasing suddenly to five and seven fathoms, we brought-to, till a boat from each ship was sent ahead to sound, and then steered N.E. after them; and at noon we had deepened the water to seventeen fathoms.  At this time, Cape Newenham bore S., 9 deg.  E., distant eleven or twelve leagues; the N.E. extreme of the land in sight N., 66 deg.  E.; and the nearest shore about four or five leagues distant.  Our latitude, by observation, was 59 deg. 16’.

Between this latitude and Cape Newenham, the coast is composed of hills and low land, and appeared to form several bays.  A little before one o’clock, the boats ahead made the signal for meeting with shoal water.  It seems they had only two fathoms; and at the same time the ships were in six fathoms.  By hauling a little more to the northward, we continued in much the same depth till between five and six o’clock, when the boats meeting with less and less water, I made the signal to the Discovery, she being then ahead, to anchor, which we did soon after.  In bringing our ship up, the cable parted at the clinch, which obliged us to come-to with the other anchor.  We rode in six fathoms water, a sandy bottom, and about four or five leagues from the main land; Cape Newenham bearing S., seventeen leagues distant.  The farthest hills we could see to the north, bore N.E. by E.; but there was low land stretching out from the high land as far as N. by E. Without this was a shoal of sand and stones, that was dry at half ebb.

I had sent the two masters, each in a boat, to sound between this shoal and the coast.  On their return, they reported, that there was a channel, in which they found six and seven fathoms water; but that it was narrow and intricate.  At low water, we made an attempt to get a hawser round the lost anchor, but did not succeed then.  However, being determined not to leave it behind me, as long as there was a probability of recovering it, I persevered in my endeavours, and at last succeeded in the evening of the 20th.

While we were thus employed, I ordered Captain Clerke to send his master in a boat to look for a passage in the S.W. quarter.  He did so; but no channel was to be found in that direction; nor did there appear to be any way to get clear of these shoals, but to return by the track which had brought us in.  For although, by following the channel we were in, we might probably have got farther down the coast; and though, possibly, this channel might have led us at last to the north, clear of the shoals, still the attempt would have been attended with vast risk; and if we should not have succeeded, there would have been a considerable loss of time that could ill be spared.  These reasons induced me to return by the way in which we came; and so get without the shoals.