sand and mud. No place can be more convenient for taking in wood and water;
for both are close to the shore. The water stunk a little after it had been
a few days on board, but it afterwards turned sweet; and even when it was
at the worst, the tin machine would, in a few hours, recover a whole cask.
This is an excellent contrivance for sweetening water at sea, and is well
known in the navy.

Mr Wales, from whom I had the latitude and longitude, found the variation
of the needle to be 7° 14' 12" E., and the dip of its south end 45° 2' 3/4.
He also observed the time of high water, on the full and change days, to be
about 5h 45m; and the tide to rise and fall three feet.

CHAPTER VII.

_The Survey of the Islands continued, and a more particular Description
of them._

1774 August

As soon as the boats were hoisted in, we made sail, and stretched to the
eastward, with a fresh gale at S.E., in order to have a nearer view of
Erronan, and to see if there was any land in its neighbourhood. We stood on
till midnight, when, having passed the island, we tacked, and spent the
remainder of the night making two boards. At sun-rise on the 21st, we stood
S.W., in order to get to the south of Tanna, and nearer to Annatom, to
observe if any more land lay in that direction; for an extraordinary clear
morning had produced no discovery of any to the east. At noon, having
observed in latitude 20° 33' 30", the situation of the lands around us was
as follows: Port Resolution bore north 86° W., distant six and a half
leagues; the island of Tanna extended from S. 88° W., to N. 64° W.;