We got clear of the land about ten; and, hoisting in the boats, stood to the northward, with an intention of searching for an harbour on the south-east side of Mowee, which we had heard frequently mentioned by the natives. The next morning we found ourselves driven to the leeward by a heavy swell from the north-east; and a fresh gale springing up from the same quarter carried us still farther to the westward. At midnight we tacked, and stood to the south for four hours, in order to keep clear of the land; and, at day-break, we found ourselves standing toward a small barren island, called Tahoorowa, which lies seven or eight miles to the south-west of Mowee. All prospect of examining more nearly the south-east parts of Mowee being now destroyed, we bore away, and ran along the south-east side of Tahoorowa. As we were steering close round its western extremity, with an intention of fetching the west side of Mowee, we suddenly shoaled our water, and observed the sea breaking on some detached rocks, almost right a-head. This obliged us to keep away a league and a half, when we again steered to the northward; and, after passing over a bank, with nineteen fathoms’ water, stood for a passage between Mowee and an island called Ranai. At noon, the latitude was, by observation, 20° 42ʹ north, and the longitude 203° 22ʹ east; the southern extremity of Mowee bearing east south-east, quarter east; the southern extremity of Ranai west north-west, quarter west; Morotoi, north-west and by north; and the western extremity of Tahoorowa, south by east, seven miles distant. Our longitude was accurately deduced from observations made by the time-keeper before and after noon, compared with the longitude found by a great many distances of the moon from the sun and stars, which were also observed the same day. In the afternoon, the weather being calm, with light airs from the west, we stood on to the north north-west; but, at sun-set, observing a shoal, which appeared to stretch to a considerable distance from the west point of Mowee, toward the middle of the passage, and the weather being unsettled, we tacked, and stood toward the south. The south-west side of this island, which we now had passed without being able to get near the shore, forms the same distant view with the north-east, as seen on our return from the north, in November 1778; the mountainous parts, which are connected by a low, flat isthmus, appearing at first like two separate islands. This deception continued on the south-west side, till we approached within eight or ten leagues of the coast, which, bending inward, to a great depth, formed a fine capacious bay. The westernmost point, off which the shoal we have just mentioned runs, is made remarkable by a small hillock, to the southward of which there is a fine sandy bay, with several huts on the shore, and a number of cocoa-nut trees growing about them.