I accordingly bore down toward the Dutch ship, which, soon after, came to an anchor to the eastward; when the wind slackening, and the current still setting very strong through the Strait to the S.W., we found it impossible to fetch her, and having therefore got as near her as the tide would permit, we also dropt anchor. I immediately dispatched Mr Williamson in the cutter with orders to get on board her, if possible; but as she lay near a mile off, and, the tide ran with great rapidity, we soon perceived that the boat was dropping fast astern. We therefore made the signal to return, and immediately began to veer away the cable, and sent out a buoy astern, in order to assist him in getting on board again. Our poverty, in the article of cordage, was here very conspicuous; for we had not a single coil of rope in the store-room to fix the buoy, but were obliged to set about unreeving the studding-sail geer, the topsail-halliards and tackle-falls for that purpose; and the boat was at this time driving to the southward so fast, that it was not before we had veered away two cables, and almost all our running-rigging, that she could fetch the buoy.
I was under the necessity of waiting till the strength of the tide should abate, which did not happen till the next morning, when Mr Williamson got on board the ship, and learnt that she had been seven months from Europe, and three from the Cape of Good Hope; that before she sailed, France and Spain had declared war against Great Britain; and that she left Sir Edward Hughes, with a squadron of men of war, and a fleet of East India ships, at the Cape. Mr Williamson having at the same time been informed, that the water at Cracatoa was very good, and always preferred by the Dutch ships to that of Prince's Island, I resolved to rejoin the Resolution at the former place; and a fair breeze springing up, we weighed and stood over toward the island, where we soon after saw her at anchor; but the wind falling, and the tide setting strong against us, I was obliged to drop anchor, at the distance of about five miles from the Resolution, and immediately sent a boat on board, to acquaint Captain Gore with the intelligence we had received.
As soon as the Resolution saw us preparing to come to, she fired her guns, and hoisted an English jack at the ensign staff, the signal at sea to lead a-head. This we afterward understood was intended to prevent our anchoring, on account of the foul ground, which the maps she had on board placed here. However, as we found none, having a muddy bottom, and good holding ground, in sixty fathoms water, we kept fast till the return of the boat, which brought orders to proceed the next morning to Prince's Island. We were at this time two miles distant from the shore; the Peak of Cracatoa bore N.W. by N.; Bantam Point E.N.E. 1/2 E.; Prince's Island S.W. by W.
The island of Cracatoa is the southernmost of a group situated in the entrance of the Strait of Sunda. It has a high peaked hill on the S. end,[113] which lies in the latitude 6° 9' S., and longitude 105° 15' E.; the whole circuit of the island is not more than three leagues. Off the N.E. end lies a small island, which forms the road where the Resolution anchored; and within a reef that runs off the S. end of the latter, there is good shelter against all northerly winds, with eighteen fathoms water near the reef, and twenty-seven in the mid-channel. To the N.W. there is a narrow pass for boats between the two islands.
[113] The island of Tamarin, or Sambouricon, which lies about four leagues to the north of Cracatoa, may be easily mistaken for the latter, having a hill of nearly the same size and form, situated also near its southern extremity.
The shore, which forms the western side of the road, is in a N.W. direction, and has a bank of coral stretching into the sea, about one-third of a cable's length, which makes the landing difficult for boats, except at high water; but the anchoring-ground is very good, and free from rocks. The place where the Resolution watered is a small spring, situated abreast of the S. end of the small island, at a short distance from the water-side. A little to the southward there is a very hot spring, which is used by the natives as a bath. Whilst we were lying off the S. end of this island, we sent a boat with the master, on shore, to look for water; but, after having landed with some difficulty, he returned unsuccessful.
Cracatoa is esteemed very healthy, in comparison of the neighbouring countries. It consists of high land, rising gradually on all sides from the sea; and the whole is covered with trees, except a few spots which the natives have cleared for rice-fields. The number of people on the island is very inconsiderable. Their chief, as are those of all the other islands in the Strait, is subject to the king of Bantam. The coral reefs afford plenty of small turtles, but other refreshments are very scarce, and sold at an enormous price.
Latitude of the road where the Resolution anchored 8° 6' south. Longitude, by Mr Bayley's timekeeper 104 48 east. Ditto, by observation 105 36 east. Dip of the south end of the magnetic needle 26 3 Variation of the compass 1 0 west.
On the full and change days, it is high-water at 7h in the morning. The water rises three feet two inches perpendicular.
At eight o'clock in the evening, it began to blow afresh from the westward, with violent thunder, lightning, and rain; and at three the next morning, we weighed and stood over for Prince's Island, but the westerly wind dying away, was succeeded by a breeze from the S.E., and at the same time a strong tide setting to the S.W., prevented our fetching the island, and obliged us, at two in the afternoon, to drop anchor in sixty-five fathoms, over a muddy bottom, at three leagues distance from it; the high hill bearing S.W. by S., and the peak on Cracatoa N. by E. We had light airs and calms till six next morning, when we weighed and made sail, having, in our endeavours to heave the anchor out of the ground, twice broken the old messenger, and afterwards a new one, cut out of our best hawser. This, however, was entirely owing to the wretched state of our cordage; as the strain was not very considerable, and we had besides assisted the cable in coming in, by clapping the cat-tackle on it. The wind continuing fair, at noon we came to an anchor off the S.E. end of Prince's Island, in twenty- six fathoms, over a sandy bottom; the east end of the island bearing N.N.E., the southernmost point in sight S.W. by S., the high peak N.W. 1/2 W., distant from the nearest shore half a mile.