1803.
April.
bank existed and had any connexion to the north-east, it was more likely to be with the Sahul Shoal than with Timor; and I therefore steered a course to get upon the line between the two; proposing afterwards to run westward, across the line of direction from the Rocks to Timor, so as in either case to fall in upon the bank.
We sounded every two hours, and hove to three times a day, to get a greater depth; and in this way ran S.W. Saturday 16.until the 16th at noon, to latitude 16° 15′ and longitude 116° 45′, without finding bottom with from 100 to 240 fathoms of line. Our course was then W. by S., sounding in the same manner, Thursday 21.until the 21st in the morning, to latitude 17° 45′ and longitude 107° 58′, but equally without success as to the bank; and I then hauled to the wind at S.E., in order to make the rocks themselves.
The Trial Rocks obtained their name from the English ship Trial, which was lost upon them in 1622; but their exact situation seemed not to be well known. Mr. Dalrymple had published a sketch of them upon the authority of a Dutch sloop, apparently sent from Batavia expressly for their examination; and in this they are described to lie in 19° 30′ south, eighty leagues from the coast of New Holland; but Arrowsmith in his large chart of the South Sea, laid the Trial Rocks down in 20° 4′ south, and 104° 30′ east, or near double the distance from the coast. The soundings of two East-Indiamen near the rocks, given in the South-Sea chart, stamped this last position with an authority which decided my opinion in its favour, and I accordingly steered for it.
Dull weather, with frequent heavy rain, thunder, and lightning, had prevailed from the time of leaving Coepang, and it produced the same effect upon the health of the ship's company as similar weather had before done in the Gulph of Carpentaria; for we had at this fime ten men in the sick list with diarrhœa, and many others were slightly affected. It seemed possible that the change of food, from salt provisions to the fresh meat, fruit, and vegetables of Timor,—a change by which I hoped to banish every appearance of