Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/290

268 coast, left us no room to doubt that the population was very considerable.

At noon, in latitude 5° 43′ 12″ south, and longitude 152° 3′ 26″ east, we saw Bougainville island, forming, with the little adjoining islands, a bay not less than 15,000 toises in extent. The General intended to anchor there; but shoals observed in different points of its entrance, and a sand-bank near its farther extremity, made him change his resolution.

Bougainville Island terminates in very low lands, and we soon had sight of the narrow channel which separates it from Bouka Island.

After standing off, we lay to all night.

The heat of the day had accumulated the materials of thunder above the high mountains. Frequent flashes of lightning discovered to us their summits, and the thunder rattled with a tremendous noise.

During the night the current had carried us more than twenty minutes towards the north. At six in the morning we were 5,000 toises to the northward of Bouka Island. The vast plantations of cocoa-nut trees which adorned its shores, indicated a numerous population.

A canoe, with nine natives on board, put off, and steered towards us. We immediately hove to