At day-light, the next morning, we saw land, for which we made sail, and ran along the lee-side of it. On the weather-side there were very great breakers, and the lee-side was rocky, but in many places there appeared to be good anchorage. We saw but few inhabitants, and they appeared to live in a manner very different from those of King George’s Island, their habitations being only small huts. We saw many cocoa-nut and other trees upon the shore; but all of them had their heads blown away, probably in a hurricane. This island is about six miles long, and has a mountain of considerable height in the middle, which seems to be fertile. It lies in latitude 17° 28’ S. and longitude, by our last observation, 151° 4’ W. and I called it SIR CHARLES SAUNDERS’S ISLAND.

On the 29th, the variation of the compass, by azimuth, was 7° 52’ E.; and early the next morning, at day-break, we saw land bearing from N. by E. to N.W. We stood for it, but could find no anchorage, the whole island being surrounded by breakers. We saw smoke in two places, but no inhabitants. A few cocoa-nut trees were growing on the lee-part of it, and I called it LORD HOW’S ISLAND. It is about ten miles long, and four broad, and lies in latitude 16° 46’ S. longitude, by observation, 154° 13’ W.

Voyaging Accounts