1765. March. eaft of the Cape, being just in one with the pitch of it, and a remarkable stone patch on the north fhore bearing N. W. diftant half a mile. Clofe to the shore here, the depth of water was feventy-five fathom. As foon as we were at anchor, I fent an officer to the weftward to look out for a harbour, but he did not fucceed. It was calm the reft of the day, and all night, the tide setting to the eastward from the time we anchored till fix o'clock the next morning, when we Wednef. 6 weighed, and were towed by the boats to the westward. At eight a fresh breeze sprung up at W. S. W. and W. and at noon, Cape Quod bore E. by S. at the diftance of about five miles. In this fituation I sent the boats out again to look for an anchoring-place, and about noon by their direction, we anchored in a little bay on the fouth shore, opposite to Cape Quod, in five and twenty fathom, with very good ground. A fmall rocky ifland bore W. by N. at the distance of about two cables length, the eastermost point E. S. and Cape Quod N. E. by N. diftant about three miles: in this place we had shell- fish of various kinds in great plenty. The Tamar not being able to work up to us, anchored about two o'clock in the bay on the north shore, about fix miles to the eastward of Cape Quod, which has been mentioned already. During the night, it was stark calm, but in the morning, having little airs of wind Thurf. 7. wefterly, I weighed about eight o'clock, and worked with the tide. At noon, Cape Quod bore E. by S. diftant between two and three leagues, and Cape Monday, which is the westermost land in sight of the south shore, W. by N. diftant about ten or eleven leagues. This part of the Streight lies W. N. W. W. by the com. pass, and is but four miles over; fo that the craggy mountains, which bound it on each fide, towering above the clouds, and covered with everlasting fnow, give it the most dreary and defolate appearance that can be imagined. The tides here are not very strong; the ebb fets to the weftward, but with an irregularity for which it is very difficult to account. About one o'clock, the Tamar anchored in the bay on the fouth shore, oppofite to Cape Quod, which we had juft left, and we continued working to windward till feven in the evening, when we anchored in a fmall bay on the north fhore, about 1765. March. about five leagues to the weftward of Cape Quod, with very good ground. This bay may be known by two large rocks that appear above water, and a low point which makes the east part of the bay. The anchoring-place is between the two rocks, the eastermost bearing N. E. E. diftant about two cables length, and the westermoft, which is near the point, W. N. W. W. at about the fame distance: there is also a small rock which fhews itfelf among the weeds at low water, and bears E. N. diftant about two cables length. If there are more fhips than one, they may anchor farther out in deeper water. During the night it was calm, and the weather became very foggy; but about ten in the Friday 8. morning it cleared up, and I went on fhore. I found abundance of fhell-fish, but faw no traces of people. In the afternoon while the people were filling water, I went up a deep lagoon, which lies juft round the westermoft rock: at the head of it I found a very fine fall of water, and on the east fide feveral little coves, where ships of the greatest draft may lie in perfect fecurity. We faw nothing elfe worthy of notice, and therefore, having filled our boat with very large mufcles, we returned. Saturd. 9. Sund. 10. At feven o'clock the next morning, we weighed and towed out of the bay, and at eight faw the Tamar very far a-ftern, steering after us. At noon, we had little wind at E. N. E. but at five o'clock, it shifted to W. N. W. and blew fresh. At fix we were a-breast of Cape Monday, and at fix the next morning, Cape Upright bore E. by S. diftant three leagues. From Cape Monday to Cape Upright, which are both on the fouth fhore, and diftant from each other about five leagues, the course is W. by N. by the compafs: the fhore on each fide is rocky, with broken ground. At about half an hour after feven, we had a very hard fquall, and the weather being then exceedingly thick, we fuddenly perceived a reef of rocks clofe under our lee bow, upon which the fea broke very high: we had but just time to tack clear of them, and if the ship had miffed ftays, every foul on board must inevitably have perifhed. These rocks lie a at great distance from the fouth fhore, and are about three leagues to the north of Cape Upright. At nine the weather cleared a little, and we faw the entrance 1765. March. trance of Long Reach, upon which we bore away, keep. ing nearest the south fhore, in hopes of finding an anchoring-place. At ten we had strong gales and thick weather, with hard rain, and at noon, we were again a-breast of Cape Monday, but could find no anchoring-place, which, however we continued to feek, still fteering along the fouth fhore, and were foon after joined by the Tamar, who had been fix or feven leagues to the eastward of us all night. At fix in the evening, we anchored in a deep bay, about three leagues to the eastward of Cape Monday: we let go the anchor in five and twenty fathom, near an ifland in the bottom of the bay; but before we could bring up the fhip, we were driven off, and the anchor took the ground in about fifty fathom. The extream points of the bay bore from N. W. to N. E. by E. and the island W. S. we veered to a whole cable, and the anchor was about a cable's length from the nearest fhore. In the night, we had fresh gales wefterly, with fudden fqualls and hard rain; but in the morning the weather became Mond. 11. more moderate, though it was ftill thick, and the rain continued. As a great fwell fet into this place, and broke very high upon the rocks, near which we lay, I got up the anchor, and warped the ship to a bank where the Tamar was riding: we let go our anchor in fourteen fathom, and moored with the stream anchor to the eastward, in forty five fathom. In the bottom of this bay there is a bason, at the entrance of which there is but three fathom and a half at low water, but within there is ten fathom, and room enough for fix or seven fail to lie where no wind can hurt them. Tuefd. 12. We continued here till Friday the 15th, and during all that time had one continued ftorm, with impenetrable fogs, and inceffant rain. On the 12th, I fent out the boat, with an officer, to look for harbours on the fouthern shore: the boat was abfent till the 14th, Thurf. 14and then returned, with an account that there were five bays between the ship's ftation and Cape Upright, where we might anchor in great fafety. The officer told me, that near Cape Upright he had fallen in with a few Indians, who had given him a dog, and that one of the women had offered him a child which was fucking at her breaft. It is fcarcely neceffary to say that he refused 1765. March. refused it, but the offer feems to degrade these poor forlorn favages more than any thing in their appearance or manner of life: it must be a strange depravity of nature that leaves them deftitute of affection for their offfpring, or a moft deplorable fituation that impreffes neceffities upon them by which it is furmounted. Some hills, which, when we first came to this place, had no fnow upon them, were now covered, and the winter of this dreary and inhofpitable region feemed to have fet in at once: the poor feamen not only fuffered much by the cold, but had fcarcely ever a dry thread about them: I therefore distributed among the crews of both the hips, not excepting the officers, two bales of a thick woollen fluff, called Fearnought, which is provided by the government, so that every body on board had now a warm jacket, which at this time was found both comfortable and falutary. Briday 15. At eight o'clock in the morning on the 15th, we weighed and made fail, and at three o'clock in the afternoon, we were once more a-breast of Cape Monday, and at five, we anchored in a bay on the east side of it. The pitch of the Cape bore N. W. diftant half a mile, and the extream points of the bay from E. to N. by W. We lay at about half a cable's length from the nearest shore, which was a low island between the ship and the Cape. Satur. 16. At fix o'clock the next morning, we weighed, and found that the palm was gone from the fmall bower anchor. The wind was at W. N. W. with hard rain: at eight o'clock, we found a ftrong current fetting us to the eastward, and at noon, Cape Monday bore W. N. W. diftant two miles. The Tamar being to windward of us, fetched into the bay and anchored again. We continued to lofe ground upon every tack, and therefore, at two o'clock, anchored upon the fouthern fhore in fixteen fathom, about five miles to the eastward of Cape Monday. At three, however, I weighed again, for the boat having founded round the ship, found the ground rocky. The wind was N. W. with hard rain, and we continued working all the reft of the day, and all night every man on board being upon deck the whole time, and every one wet wet to the skin, for the rain, or rather sheets of water that came down, did not cease a moment. 1765. March. Mond: y 18. Tuesday 19. In the morning, we had again the mortification to Sunday 17. find that, notwithstanding all our labour, we had loft ground upon every tack, in confequence of the current, which continued to fet with great force to the eastward. At eight o'clock, we bore away, and at nine anchored in the fame bay from which we failed on the 15th. The wind continued W. and W. N. W. without any tide to the weftward, all the 18th and 19th, and the weather was exceedingly bad, with hard fqualls and heavy rain. In the mean time I had fent an officer with a boat to found a bay on the north shore, but he found no anchorage in it. On the 20th, at fix o'clock Wednef. 20. in the morning, a hard fquall coming on, the fhip drove, and brought the anchor off the bank into forty fathom, but by heaving up the bower, and carrying out the kedge anchor, we got the fhip on the bank again. At eight, the day following, though the wind Thursd. 21. was from W. N. W. to S. W. we weighed, and once more flood out of the bay; the current ftill fet very ftrongly to the eastward, but at noon, we found that we had gained about a mile and a half in a contrary direction. The wind now became variable, from S. W. to N. W. and at five in the afternoon, the ship had gained about four miles to the weftward; but not being able to find an anchoring-place, and the wind dying away, we drove again very fast to the eastward with the current. At fix, however, we anchored in forty fathom, with very good ground, in a bay about two miles to the weftward of that from which we failed in the morning. A fwell rolled in here all night, fo that our fituation was by no means desirable, and therefore, although the wind was still at W. S. W. we weighed and made fail about eight o'clock the next day: we had ftill in- Friday 22. ceffant rain, so that the people were continually wet, which was a great aggravation of their fatigue; yet they were still cheerful, and, what was yet lefs to be expected, ftill healthy. This day, to our great joy, we found the current fetting to the weftward, and we gained ground very fast. At fix in the evening, we anchored in the bay on the eaft fide of Cape Mon day, |