1770. February.

Saturday 17.

Sunday 18.

leagues. By feven o'clock at night we had run eight and twenty miles, when feeing no land, nor any figns of any, but that which we had left, we bore away S. by W. and continued upon that course till the next day at noon, when we were in latitude 45° 16', the fouth point of Banks's Island bearing N. 6° 30' W. diftant twenty-eight leagues. The variation by the azimuth this morning was 15° 30′ E. As no figns of land had yet appeared to the fouthward, and as I thought that we had stood far enough in that direction to weather all the land we had left, judging from the report of the natives in Queen Charlotte's Sound, I hauled to the weftward.

L

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We had a moderate breeze at N. N. W. and N. till eight in the evening, when it became unsettled; and at ten fixed at fouth: during the night, it blew with fuch violence that it brought us under our close reefed topfails. At eight the Monday 19. next morning, having run twenty-eight leagues upon a W. by N. N. courfe, and judging ourselves to be to the weftward of the land of Tovy Poenammoo, we bore away N. W. with a fresh gale at south. At ten, having run eleven miles upon this courfe, we faw land extending from the S. W. to the N. W. at the distance of about ten leagues, which we hauled up for. At noon, our latitude by obfervation was 44° 38', the fouth east point of Banks's Ifland bore N. 58° 30' E. distant thirty leagues, and the main body of the land in fight W. by N. A head fea prevented us from making much way to the southward; at seven in the evening the extremes of the land ftretched from S. W. by S. to N. by W.; and at fix leagues from the shore we had thirty-two fathom waTuesday 20. ter. At four o'clock the next morning, we stood in for the fhore W. by S. and during a course of four leagues, our depth of water was from thirty-two to thirteen fathom.

When

When it was thirteen fathom we were but three miles diftant from the shore, and therefore stood off; its direction is here nearly N. and S. The furface, to the distance of about five miles from the fea, is low and flat; but it then rifes into hills of a confiderable height. It appeared to be totally barren, and we faw no signs of its being inhabited. Our latitude, at noon, was 44° 44′; and the longitude which we made from Banks's Island to this place was 2° 22′ W. During the laft twenty-four hours, though we carried as much fail as the ship would bear, we were driven three leagues to the leeward.

1770.

February.

Tuesday 20.

We continued to ftand off and on all this day and the next, Wednef. 21. keeping at the distance of between four and twelve leagues from the shore, and having water from thirty-five to fiftythree fathom. On the 22d, at noon, we had no obfervation, Thursday 22. but by the land judged ourselves to be about three leagues farther north than we had been the day before. At fun-set, the weather, which had been hazey, clearing up, we faw a mountain which rofe in a high peak, bearing N.W. by N.; and at the fame time, we faw the land more diftinctly than before, extending from N. to S. W. by S. which, at some dif tance within the coast, had a lofty and mountainous appearance. We foon found that the accounts which had been given us by the Indians in Queen Charlotte's Sound of the land to the fouthward were not true; for they had told us that it might be circumnavigated in four days.

On the 23d, having a hollow fwell from the S. E. and ex- Friday 23 pecting wind from the fame quarter, we kept plying between seven and fifteen leagues from the fhore, having from feventy to forty-four fathom. At noon, our latitude by observation was 44° 40′ S. and our longitude from Banks's ifland 1°31′ W. From this time to fix in the evening it was

calm;

1770. February.

Friday 23.

Saturday 24.

Sunday 25.

calm; but a light breeze then fpringing up at E.N.E. we steered S.S.E. all night, edging off from the land, the hollow fwell fill continuing; our depth of water was from fixty to feventy-five fathom. While we were becalmed, Mr. Banks, being out in the boat, fhot two Port Egmont hens, which were in every refpect the fame as thofe that are found in great numbers upon the island of Faro, and were the firft of the kind we had feen upon this coaft, though we fell in with fome a few days before we made land.

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At day-break, the wind freshened, and before noon we had a ftrong gale at N. N. E. At eight in the morning we faw the land extending as far as S. W. by S. and steered directly for it. At noon, we were in latitude 45° 22' S.; and the land, which now ftretched from S. W. S. to N. N. W. appeared to be rudely diverfified by hill and valley. In the afternoon, we fleered S. W. by S. and S. W. edging in for the land with a fresh gale at north; but though we were at no great diftance, the weather was fo hazy that we could fee nothing diftinctly upon it, except a ridge of high hills lying not far from the fea, and parallel to the coaft, which in this place. ftretches S. by W. and N. by E. and feemed to end in a high bluff point to the fouthward. By eight in the evening we were abreast of this point; but it being then dark, and I not knowing which way the land trended, we brought to for thenight. At this time, the point bore weft, and was diftant about five miles: our depth of water was thirty-seven fathom, and the bottom confifted of fmall pebbles.

At day-break, having made fail, the point bore north, diftant three leagues, and we now found that the land trended from it S. W. by W. as far as we could fee. This point I named CAPE SAUNDERS, in honour of Sir Charles. Our latitude was 45° 35′ S., and longitude 189° 4' W. By the latitude, and the

angles

angles that are made by the coaft, this point will be fufficiently known; there is, however, about three or four leagues to the south west of it, and very near the shore, a remarkable faddle-hill, which is a good direction to it on that quarter. From one league to four leagues north of Cape Saunders, the shore forms two or three bays, in which there appeared to be good anchorage, and effectual fhelter from the S. W. wefterly, and N. wefterly winds; but my defire of getting to the fouthward, in order to ascertain whether this country was an island or a continent, prevented my putting into any of them.

1770. February.

Sunday 25..

We kept at a small distance from the shore all this morning, with the wind at S. W. and had a very distinct view of it: it is of a moderate height, and the surface is broken by many hills which are green and woody; but we saw no appearance of inhabitants. At noon, Cape Saunders bore N. 30 W.. distant about four leagues.. We had variable winds and calms till five o'clock in the evening, when it fixed at W. S. W. and foon blew fo hard that it put us paft our topfails, and split theforefail all to pieces: after getting another to the yard, we continued to ftand to the fouthward under two courfes; and at fix the next morning, the southermost land in fight bore Monday z5.. W. by N. and Cape Saunders N. by W. diftant eight leagues: at noon, it bore N. 20 W. fourteen leagues; and our latitude by obfervation was 46° 36'. The gale continued, with heavy fqualls and a large hollow fea all the afternoon; and at feven in the evening, we lay to under our forefail, with the fhip's head to the fouthward: at noon on the 27th, our Tuesday 276. latitude was 46° 54', and our longitude from Cape Saunders

1° 24′ E. At feven in the evening, we made fail under our courfes; and at eight the next morning fet the topfails close Wednef. 28. reefed. At noon, our latitude was 47° 43′, and our longitude east from Cape Saunders 2° 10. At this time, we wore

and:

1770. February. Wednef. 28.

March. Thursday 1.

Friday 2.

Saturday 3.

Sunday 4.

Monday 5.

and flood to the northward: in the afternoon, we found the variation to be 16° 34′ E. At eight in the evening, we tacked and stood to the fouthward, with the wind at west.

At noon this day, our latitude by account was 47° 52′, and our longitude from Cape Saunders 1° 8' E. We stood to the fouthward till half an hour past three in the afternoon; and then, being in latitude 48° S. and longitude 188° W. and seeing no appearance of land, we tacked and stood to the northward, having a large fwell from the S. W. by W. At noon the next day, our latitude was 46° 42′ S.; and Cape Saunders bore N. 46 W. distant eighty-fix miles. The fouth west swell continuing till the 3d, confirmed our opinion, that there was no land in that quarter. At four in the afternoon, we flood to the weftward with all the fail we could make. In the morning of the 4th, we found the variation to be 16° 16' E. This day we faw fome whales and feals, as we had done feveral times after our having paffed the ftreight; but we faw no feal while we were upon the coast of Eahienomauwe. We founded both in the night and this morning, but had no ground with one hundred and fifty fathom. At noon, we faw Cape Saunders bearing N. W.; and our latitude by.obfervation was 46° 31' S. At half an hour paft one o'clock, we faw land bearing W. by S. which we steered for, and before it was dark were within three or four miles of it: during the whole night we faw fires upon it, and at seven in the morning were within about three leagues of the shore, which appeared to be high, but level. At three o'clock in the afternoon, we faw the land extending from N. E. by N. to N. W. N.; and foon after we difcovered fome low land, which appeared like an island, bearing S. W. We continued our course to the W. by S. and in two hours we saw high land over the low land, extending to the fouthward as far as S. W. by S.; but it did not appear to be joined to the

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