The beauty of the weather, which we were enjoying continuously was too much of a gift of nature to be wasted, so we were diligent in making the best use of it. It seemed better therefore that Don Felipe Bauzá, who had finished measuring a base and taking most of the bearings within the inner harbour, should proceed to the outer coast of Laguan using local craft, to gather information about soundings, tides and suitable anchorages. This left the launches, with the help of the pinnaces, free to be used for sounding inside the harbour and by the morning of the 9th they had finished taking soundings in the area near the corvettes’ anchorage.
Among the more important objects which the natives daily brought on board to sell we particularly valued the shells which were found, equal in beauty, abundance and variety, throughout these parts. Many of the officers were quick to join the natives in this useful search, and the hours of low tide, whatever the height of the Sun, gave the strongest incentive not to remain peacefully on board if daily occupations allowed. It is certain that within three days not a stone remained unturned on the nearby shores, nor was there a single species of the shells of these waters that we did not find. The assemblage of specimens gathered for the Real Gabinete and the study of this pleasant field of natural history were thus considerably enriched.