In the middle is a large lake or inland sea, in
which was a canoe under sail.
This island, which I named after Captain Furneaux, lies in the latitude of
17 deg. 5', longitude 143 deg. 16' W. The situation is nearly the same that is
assigned for one of those discovered by Bougainville. I must here observe,
that amongst these low and half-drowned isles (which are numerous in this
part of the ocean,) Mr Bougainville's discoveries cannot be known to that
degree of accuracy which is necessary to distinguish them from others. We
were obliged to have recourse to his chart for the latitudes and longitudes
of the isles he discovered, as neither the one nor the other is mentioned
in his narrative. Without waiting to examine this island we continued to
steer to the west, all sails set, till six o'clock in the evening, when we
shortened sail to three top-sails, and at nine brought-to.
The next morning at four a.m. we made sail, and at daybreak saw another of
these low islands, situated in the latitude of 17 deg. 4', longitude 144 deg. 30'
W., which obtained the name of Adventure Island. M. de Bougainville very
properly calls this cluster of low overflowed isles the Dangerous
Archipelago.
