come nearer to it than about 200 toises. It was amusing enough to hear the two chiefs address long speeches to the taper. They spoke with much warmth, supposing, no doubt, that one of us was coming towards them with this light. Chagrined, perhaps, at its silence, which formed so direct a contrast to their babbling noise, they returned in about two hours towards their island. Fires were all the while kept burning upon the beach, perhaps to show the canoes the place to which they were to return.
We lay to all the night.
August 1st. In the morning we saw the western extremity of that little insular group, which extends about fifteen leagues from east to west. The most western island is in 2° 11′ 36″ south latitude, and in 143° 47′ 38″ east longitude.
Reefs and sand-banks extended beyond them 8,000 toises towards the south-west.
We soon came in sight of other reefs, which were 5,000 toises in extent from east to west. They are situated in 2° 13′ south latitude, and 143° 40′ east longitude.
We carried a little sail towards W.N.W. during the night.
At day-break we had sight of the Hermit islands, discovered in 1781, by the Spanish frigate the Princessa, which saw them at the distance of
