[page 167]

[The following piece of writing, located on the last page of the letter book, does not appear to be linked to any of the preceding letters]

When an island is said to be visible at any given distance, it is always to be understood, that it is visible from a ships deck at that distance in fine weather.
It must not be expected that the forms of all the isles which are laid down are exact. Such as were visited will be found nearly so, but the rest must be looked upon as only representing the shewing the position of the each island, and its magnitude nearly. This is to be understood of such isles only as have the outline complete; those that are unfinished being only intended to express that there is an island or land in about that situation, and these may then be other isles or land in the same neighbourhood which from being lower could not be distinguished
Although it has been said that a point being marked upon high land (*) implies that it is a position well ascertained yet this is not to be extended to the island upon which it may be, or th the neighbouring land, since an island upon which this may occur is sometimes unfinished, and consequently, its form, extent and even position are uncertain; it is therefore, the point only that is fixed.
Inlet. A general name for any opening in the land, of whatever size or form it may be. There are two cases where this name is used:- the first is, when the opening is not sufficiently examined to ascertain its form, or to know whether it is a bay, port, river, or sound:- the other is, when none of the above names apply to it, according to their definitions as generally received.
River I confine the use of this term to fresh a long, narrow, pieces of fresh water; or at least to such for pieces of waters of that formation, which have some fresh water in them. I am aware that seamen call a long narrow piece of water, a river, whether it is fresh or salt; but this, I apprehend is for what want of another term expressive of a river-shaped piece of wat salt water, and which seems to be still wanting. I use the word inlet general term inlet, in this case, not knowing a better. The term creek is used by Mr. Dalrymple in this sense, but I think that the an inlet of this kind may be so large as to render the term improper; and moreover, I custom has applied the word to a small branches of rivers, whose water may be fresh.