195 1770.

•Monday 1.

At fix o'clock in the morning of January the ift, 1770, being New-year's-day, we tacked and ftood to January. the eastward, the Three Kings bearing N. W..by N. At noon we tacked again, and stood to the weftward, being in latitude 34° 37' S. the Three Kings bearing N. W. by N. at the distance of ten or eleven leagues, and Cape Maria Van Diemen N. 31 E. diftant about four leagues and an half; in this situation we had fiftyfour fathoms water.

During this part of our navigation two particulars are very remarkable; in latitude 35° S. and in the midft of summer, I met with a gale of wind, which for its ftrength and continuance was such as I had scarcely ever been in before, and we were three weeks in getting ten leagues to the weftward, and five weeks in getting fifty leagues; for at this time it was fo long fince we paffed Cape Bret. During the gale, we were happily at a great distance from the land, otherwise it is highly probable, that we should never have returned to relate our adventures.

At five o'clock in the evening, having a fresh breeze to the westward, we tacked and stood to fouthward : at this time North Cape bore E. N. and juft open of a point that lies three leagues W. by N. from it.

The Cape, as I have obferved before, is the northermoft extremity of this country, and the eaftermost point of a peninsula, which runs out N. W. and N. W. by N. feventeen or eighteen leagues, and of which Cape Maria Van Diemen is the westermoft point. Cape Maria lies in latitude 34° 30' S. longitude 187° 18′ W. and from this point the land trends away S. E. by S. and S. E. beyond Mount Camel, and is every where a barren fhore, confifting of banks of white fand.

On the 2d, at noon, we were in latitude 35° 17' S Tuesday 2. and Cape Maria bore N. distant about fixteen leagues, as near as we could guefs; for we had no land in fight, and did not dare to go nearer, as a fresh gale blew right on fhore, with a rolling fea. The wind continued at W. S. W. with frequent fqualls. In the evening we fhortened fail, and at midnight tacked, and made a trip to the N. W. till two in the morning, when we wore and

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1770.

Weddef. 3.

and stood to the fouthward. At break of day we made Januaryfail, and edged away, in order to make land: and at ten o'clock we saw it, bearing N. W. It appeared to be high, and at noon extended from N. to E. N. E. diftant by eftimation eight or ten leagues. Cape Maria then bore N. 2° 30' W. diftant thirty-three leagues: our latitude by obfervation was 36° 2' S. About feven

Thurf. 4.

o'clock in the evening we were within fix leagues of it; but having a fresh gale upon it, with a rolling fea, we hauled our wind to the S. E. and kept on that course close upon the wind all night, founding feveral times, but having no ground with one hundred and ten fathoms.

At eight o'clock the next morning we were about five leagues from the land, and off a place which lies in latitude 36° 25', and had the appearance of a bay or inlet. It bore east; and in order to see more of it, we kept on our courfe till eleven o'clock, when we were not more than three leagues from it, and then discovered that it was neither inlet nor bay, but a tract of low land, bounded by higher lands on each fide, which produced the deception. At this time we tacked, and stood to the N. W. and at noon the land was not distant more than three or four leagues. We were now in latitude 36' 31'S. longitude 185° 50' W. Cape Maria bore N. 25 W. diftant forty-four leagues and an half; fo that the coast must be almost straight in the direction of S. S. E. E. and N. N. W. W. nearly. In about latitude 35° 45′ is fome high land adjoining to the fea; to the fouthward of which the shore is alfo high, and has the most defolate and inhofpitable appearance that can be imagined. Nothing is to be feen but hills of fand, on which there is fcarcely a blade of verdure; and a vaft fea, impelled by the wefterly winds, breaking upon it in a dreadful furf, renders it not only forlorn but frightful; complicating the idea of danger with defolation, and impreffing the mind at once with a sense of mifery and death. From this place I fteered to the northward, refolving never more to come within the fame distance of the coaft, except the wind fhould be very favourable indeed. I flood under a fresh fail all the day, hoping to get an offing by

the

the next noon, and we made good a courfe of an hun- 1770. dred and two miles N. 38 W. Our latitude by obfer- January. vation was 35° 10' S. and Cape Maria bore N. 10 E. distance forty-one miles. In the night, the wind shifted from S. W. by S. to S. and blew fresh. Our course to the noon of the 5th was N. 75 W. distance eight Friday 5.

miles.

At day-break, on the 6th, we faw land, which we Saturday 6. took to be Cape Maria, bearing N. N. E. distant eight or nine leagues. And on the 7th, in the after-Sunday 7. noon, the land bore east; and fome time after we difcovered a turtle upon the water, but, being awake, it dived inftantly, fo that we could not take it. At noon the high land, which has just been mentioned, extended from N. to E. at the diftance of five or fix leagues; and in two places, a flat gave it the appearance of a bay or inlet. The course that we made good the last four-and-twenty hours was S. 33 E. fifty-three miles, Cape Maria bearing N. 25 W. distant thirty leagues.

We failed within fight of land all this day, with gentle gales between the N. E. and N. W. and by the next noon had failed fixty-nine miles, in the direction Monday 8. of S. 37 E. our latitude by obfervation was 36° 39′ S. The land which on the 4th we had taken for a bay, now bore N. E. by N. diftant five leagues and an half, and Cape Maria N. 29 W. forty-feven-leagues.

On the 9th, we continued a fouth-eaft course till Tuesday 9. eight o'clock in the evening, having run feven leagues fince noon, with the wind at N. N. E. and N. and being within three or four leagues of the land, which appeared to be low and fandy. I then fteered S. E. by S. in a direction parallel with the coaft, having from forty-eight to thirty-four fathoms water, with a black fandy bottom. At day-break, the next morning, we'Wednef. 10; found ourselves between two and three leagues from the land, which began to have a better appearance, rifing in gentle flopes, and being covered with trees and herbage. We faw a fmoke and a few houses, but it appeared to be but thinly inhabited. At seven o'clock we fteered S. by E. and afterwards S.

1770. by W. the land lying in that direction. At nine, we January. were a-breast of a point which rifes with an eafy ascent from the fea to a confiderable height; this point, which lies in latitude 37° 43', I named WOODY HEAD. About eleven miles from this head, in the direction of S. W. W. lies a very small ifland, upon which we faw a great number of gannets, and which we therefore called GANNET ISLAND. At noon, a high craggy point bore E. N. E. diftant about a league and a half, to which I gave the name of ALBETROSS POINT; it lies in latitude 38° 4' S. longitude 184° 42′ W. and is diftant feven leagues in the direction of S. 17 W. from Woody Head. On the north fide of this point the shore forms a bay, in which there appears to be anchorage and fhelter for fhipping. Our course and diftance for the last twenty-four hours was S. 37 E. fixty-nine miles; and at noon this day Cape Maria bore N. 30 W. diftant eighty-two leagues. Between twelve and one, the wind shifted at once from N. N. E. to S. S. W. with which we ftood to the weftward till four o'clock in the afternoon, and then tacked, and ftood again in shore till feven, when we tacked again and stood to the weftward, having but little wind. At this time Albetrofs Point bore N. E. diftant near two leagues, and the southermost land in fight bore S. S. W. W. being a very high mountain, and in appearance greatly refembling the Peak of Teneriffe. In this fituation we had thirty fathoms water, and having but little wind all night, we tacked about four in Thuifd. 1. the morning, and stood in for the fhore. Soon after it fell calm, and, being in forty-two fathoms water, the people caught a few fea-bream. At eleven a light breeze sprung up from the weft, and we made fail to the fouthward. We continued to fteer S. by W. and S. S. W. along the shore, at the distance of abour four leagues, with gentle breezes from between N. W. and N. N. E. At seven in the evening, we faw the top of the Peak to the fouthward, above the clouds which concealed it below; and at this time the fouthermoft land in fight bore S. by W. the variation, by feveral azimuths, which were taken both in the morning and the evening, appeared to be 14° 15' eafterly.

At

At noon, on the 12th, we were distant about three 1770. leagues from the fhore which lies under the Peak, but January. the Peak itself was wholly concealed by clouds; we Friday 12. judged it to bear about S. S. E. and fome very remarkable peaked islands, which lay under the fhore, bore E. S. E. diftant three or four leagues. At feven in the evening we founded, and had forty-two fathoms, being diftant from the shore between two and three leagues; we judged the Peak to bear eaft, and after it was dark we faw fires upon the shore.

At five o'clock in the morning we faw, for a few Saturd. 13. minutes, the fummit of the Peak, towering above the clouds, and covered with fnow; it now bore N. E. It lies in latitude 39° 16' S. longitude 185° 15' W. and I named it MOUNT EGMONT, in honour of the Earl; it seems to have a large bafe, and to rife with a gradual afcent. It lies near the fea, and is furrounded by a flat country of a pleasant appearance, being cloathed with verdure and wood, which renders it the more confpicuous, and the fhore under it forms a large cape, which I have named CAPE EGMONT. It lies S. S. W. W. twenty-feven leagues diftant from Albetrofs Point, and on the north fide of it are two fmall islands, which lie near a remarkable point on the main, that rifes to a confiderable height in the form of a fugar-loaf. To the fouthward of the Cape, the land trends away S. E. by E. and S. S. E. and seems to be every where a bold fhore. At noon Cape Egmont bore about N. E. and in this direction, at about four leagues from the fhore, we had forty fathoms of water. The wind, during the reft of the day, was from W. to N. W. by W. and we continued to fteer along the fhore S. S. E. and S. E. by E. keeping at the diftance of between two and three leagues. At half an hour after feven we had another tranfient view of Mount Egmont, which bore N. 17 W. diftant about ten leagues.

At five the next morning we fteered S. E. by S. the Sunday 14. coaft inclining more foutherly; and in about half an hour we faw land bearing S. W. by S. for which we hauled up. At noon the north-west extremity of the land in fight bore S. 63 W. and fome high land, which had the appearance of an idland lying under the

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