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Recherche's Archipelago.]

admiral had mostly skirted round the archipelago, a sufficient reason for me to attempt passing through the middle, if the weather did not make the experiment too dangerous. It was fine at this time, and the breeze moderate at south-south-west; and I therefore took measures to be in with the western group as early on the following morning as possible, to have the whole day for getting through.

At a quarter past five, we bore away for the south end of the westernmost island, passed it within a mile and a half at seven, and steered eastward for the clusters rising a-head and on both bows. At noon, the number of rocks above water, the patches of breakers, and the islands with which we were surrounded, made it necessary to heave to, in order to take the angles of so many objects with some degree of accuracy. The situation of the ship, and the three most material bearings were these: This last peak had been visible from daybreak, and appears to be the top of the imperfectly formed Ile de Remarque of D'Entrecasteaux's chart; and from it, I measured with a sextant the angles of most of the other objects. The long reef of rocks, called La Chaussée (The Causeway), was four or five miles distant to the southward; and a sunken rock, upon which the sea broke at times, was three miles off to the north-east. The islands were more particularly numerous to the east-south-east, where our course lay; but as they were generally high, with bold rocky shores, and we had hitherto found deep water, I bore away for them so soon as all the bearings were obtained.

The chart alone can give any adequate idea of this labyrinth of islands and rocks, or of our track amongst them until half past