On Saturday the 11th, we discovered a small, low, flat island, which appeared to be almost level with the water's edge, and was covered with green trees: As it was to the south and directly to windward of us, we could not fetch it. It lies in latitude 22°S., and longitude 141° 34'W.; and we called it the Bishop of Osnaburgh's Island, in honour of his majesty's second son.[56] [Footnote 56: There is another island of this name, among these that were discovered by Captain Wallis.] On the 12th, we fell in with two more small islands, which were covered with green trees, but appeared to be uninhabited. We were close in with the southermost, which proved to be a slip of land in the form of a half-moon, low, flat, and sandy: From the south end of it a reef runs out to the distance of about half a mile, on which the sea breaks with great fury. We found no anchorage, but the boat landed. It had a pleasant appearance, but afforded neither vegetables nor water; there were however many birds upon it, so tame that they suffered themselves to be taken by hand. The other island very much resembles this, and is distant from it about five or six leagues: They lie W.N.W. and E.S.E. of each other. One of them is in latitude 20° 38'S., longitude 146°W.; the other 20°34'S., longitude 146° 15' W., and we called them the Duke of Gloucester's Islands; the variation here is five degrees east. These islands are probably the land seen by Quiros, as the situation is nearly the same; but if not, the land he saw could not be more considerable: Whatever it was, he went to the southward of it, and the long billows we had here, convinced us that there was no land near us in that direction. The wind here being to the eastward, I hauled to the southward again, and the next day, Monday the 13th, in the evening, as we were steering W.S.W. we observed that we lost the long southerly billows, and that we got them again at seven o'clock the next day. When we lost them we were in latitude 21°7'S., longitude 147°4' W.; and when we got them again we were in latitude 21° 43 S., longitude 149°48'W; so that I imagine there was some land to the southward, not far distant.[57] [Footnote 57: The Islands called Oheteroa, Toobouai, Vabouai, Vavitoo, lie a little to the south of this part of Carteret's track.--E.] From this time to the 16th, the winds were variable from N.E. round by the N. the N.W. and S.W. and blew very hard, with violent gusts, one of which was very near being fatal to us, with thick weather and hard rain. We were then in latitude 22° S., and 70°30'W. of our departure, where we found the variation 6°30'E. and the tempestuous gales were succeeded by a dead calm. After some time, however, the wind sprung up again at west, and at length settled in the W.S.W. which soon drove us again to the northward, so that on the 20th we were in latitude 19° S., longitude 75°30'W. of our departure: The variation was here 6°E.