March. 1770 fome whales and feals, as we had done feveral times after our having paffed the ftreight; but we faw no feals 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 fathoms. At noon we saw Cape Saunders bearing NW. and our latitude, by obfervation, was 46° 31' S. At half an hour past 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 Monday 5. faw.fires upon it, and at feven in the morning were within about three leagues of the fhore, 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 discovered fome low land, which appeared like an ifland, bearing S. W. We continued our course to the W. by S. and in two hours we faw 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 land to the northward; fo that there is either water, a deep bay, or low land between them. Tuesday 6. At noon, on the 6th, we were nearly in the fame fituation as at noon on the day before. In the afternoon we found the variation, by feveral azimuths and Wednef. 7. the amplitude, to be 15° 10 E. On the 7th, at noon, we were in latitude 47° 6' S. and had made twelve miles eafting during the last twenty-four hours. We flood to the westward the remainder of this day, and Thurfd. 8. all the next till fun-fet, when the extremes of the land bore from N. by E. to W. diftant about feven or eight leagues in this fituation our depth of water was fiftyfive fathoms, and the variation, by amplitude, 16° 29 E. The wind now veered from the N. to the W. and as we had fine weather, and moon-light, we kept ftanding close upon the wind to the S. W. all night. At four in the morning we had fixty fathoms water; and at day-light we discovered under our bow a ledge of rocks, extending from S. by W. to W. by S. upon which the fea broke very high; they were not more than three quarters of a mile diftant, yet we had fiveand-forty fathoms water. As the wind was at N. W. we could not now weather them; and as I was unwilling Friday 9. willing to run to leeward, I tacked and made a trip to the eastward; the wind, however, foon after coming to the northward, enabled us to get clear of all. Our foundings, while we were paffing within the ledge, were from thirty-five to forty-feven fathoms, with a rocky bottom. This ledge lies S. E. fix leagues from the fouthermost part of the land, and S. E. by E. from fome remarkable hills which stand near the fhore: about three leagues to the northward of it, there is another ledge, which lies full three leagues from the fhore, and on which the fea broke in a dreadful furf. As we paffed these rocks to the north in the night, and discovered the others under our bow at break of day, it is manifest that our danger was imminent, and our escape critical in the highest degree: from the fituation of these rocks, fo well adapted to catch unwary ftrangers, I called them the TRAPS. Our latitude at noon was 47° 26' S. The land in fight, which had the appearance of an island, extended from N. E. by N. to N, W. by W. and feemed to be about five leagues diftant from the main; the eastermost ledge of rocks bore S. S. E. diftant one league and an half, and the northermost N. E. E. diftant about three leagues. This land is high and barren, with nothing upon it but a few ftraggling fhrubs, for not a single tree was to be feen; it was, however, remarkable for a number of white patches, which I took to be marble, as they reflected the fun's rays very ftrongly other patches of the fame kind, we had obferved in different parts of this country, particularly in Mercury Bay, we contitinued to ftand close upon a wind to the weftward, and at fun-set the southermoft point of land bore N. 38 E. diftant four leagues, and the westermoft land in fight bore N. 2 E. The point which lies in latitude 47° 19' S. longitude 192° 12' W. I named SOUTH CAPE; the westermost land was a fmall island, lying off the point of the main. : Suppofing South Cape to be the fouthern extremity of this country, as indeed it proved to be, I hoped to get round it by the west; for a large hollow fwell from the fouth-west, ever fince our laft hard gale, had convinced me that there was no land in that direction. 1770. March. 1770. Saturday 10. In the night we had a hard gale at N. E. by N. and March. N. which brought us under our courfes; but about eight in the morning it became moderate; and at noon, fteering to the weft, we tacked and ftood to the northward, having no land in fight. Our latitude, by obfervation, was 47° 33', our longitude, weft from the South Cape, 59'. We ftood away N. N. E. close upon a wind, without feeing any land, till two the Sunday 11. next morning, when we difcovered an island bearing N. W. by N. diftant about five leagues. About two hours afterwards we faw land a-head, upon which we tacked and stood off till fix, when we ftood in to take a nearer view of it. At eleven we were within three leagues of it, but the wind feeming to incline upon the shore, I tacked and stood off to the fouthward. We had now failed round the land which we had difcovered on the 5th, and which then did not appear to be joined to the main which lay north of it; and being now come to the other fide of what we fuppofed to bé water, a bay, or low land, it had the fame appearance; but when I came to lay it down upon paper, I faw no reason to suppose it to be an island; on the contrary, I was clearly of opinion, that it made part of the main. At noon, the western extremity of the main bore N. 59 W. and the island which we had seen in the morning S. 59 W. diftant about five leagues. It lies in latitude 46° 31' S. longitude 192° 49′ W. and is nothing but a barren rock, about a mile in circuit, remarkably high, and lies full five leagues distant from the main. This ifland I named after Dr. Solander, and called it SOLANDER'S ISLAND. The shore of the main lies nearest E. by S. and W. by N. and forms a large open bay, in which there is no appearance of any harbour or shelter for shipping against S. W. and foutherly winds. The furface of the country is broken into craggy hills of a great height, on the fummits of which are several patches of fnow; it is not, however, wholly barren, for we could fee wood not only in the vallies, but upon the highest ground, yet we faw no appearance of its being inhabited. Monday 12. We continued to ftand to the S. W. by S. till eleven o'clock the next morning, when the wind fhifted to the S. W. by W. upon which we wore, and stood to the N. N. W. being then in latitude 47° 40' S. longitude 193° 50 W. and having a hollow fea from the S. W. 1779. March. During the night, we fteered N. N. W. till fix in Tuesday 13. the morning, when, feeing no land, we fteered N. by E. till eight, when we fteered N. E. by E. § E. to make the land, which at ten we faw bearing E. N. E, but it being hazy, we could diftinguish nothing upon it. At noon our latitude, by obfervation, was 46° S. About two it cleared up, and the land appeared to be high, rude, and mountainous. About half an hour after three I hauled in for a bay, in which there apr peared to be good anchorage; but in about an hour, finding the distance too great to run before it would be dark, and the wind blowing too hard to make the attempt fafe in the night, I bore away along the shore. : This bay, which I called DUSKY BAY, lies in latitude 45° 47 S. it is between three and four miles broad at the entrance, and feems to be full as deep as it is broad it contains feveral islands, behind which there must be shelter from all winds, though poffibly there may not be fufficient depth of water. The north point of this bay, when it bears S. E. by S. is rendered very remarkable, by five high-peaked rocks which lie off it, and have the appearance of the four fingers and thumb of a man's hand, for which reafon I called it POINT FIVE FINGERS. The land of this Point is farther remarkable, for being the only level land within a confiderable diftance. It extends near two leagues to the northward, is lofty, and covered with wood; the land behind it is very different, confifting wholly of mountains, totally barren and rocky; and this difference gives the Cape the appearance of an island. At fun-fet, the fouthermoft land in fight bore due fouth, distant about five or fix leagues; and as this is the westermost point of land upon the whole coast, I called it WEST CAPE. It lies about three leagues to the fouthward of Dufky Bay, in the latitude of 45° 54' S. and in the longitude of 193° 17′ W. The land of this Cape is of a moderate height next the fea, and has nothing remarkable about it, except a very white cliff, two or three leagues to the fouthward of it; to the 1770. March. Wednes. 14. the fouthward of it alfo the land trends away to the S. E. and to the northward it trends N. N. E. Having brought to for the night, we made fail along the shore at four in the morning, in the direction of N. E. N. with a moderate breeze at S. S. E. At noon our latitude, by obfervation, was 45° 13' S. At this time, being about a league and an half from the fhore, we founded, but had no ground with feventy fathoms. We had just paffed a fmall narrow opening in land, where there feemed to be a very fafe and convenient harbour, formed by an ifland which lay in the middle of the opening at east. The opening lies in latitude 45° 16' S. and on the land behind it are mountains, the fummits of which were covered with fnow, that appeared to have been recently fallen; and indeed for two days paft we had found the weather very cold. On each fide the entrance of the opening, the land rifes almost perpendicularly from the fea to a ftupendous height, and this indeed was the reason why I did not carry the ship into it, for no wind could blow there but right in or right out, in the direction of either east or west, and I thought it by no means advifeable to put into a place whence I could not have got out but with a wind, which, experience had taught me, did not blow more than one day in a month. In this, however, I acted contrary to the opinion of fome persons on board, who, in very strong terms, expreffed their defire to harbour for prefent convenience, without any regard to future difadvantages. In the evening, being about two leagues from the fhore, we founded, and had no ground at 108 fathoms ; the variation of the needle, by azimuth, was 14° E. and by amplitude 15° 2. We made the best of our way along the fhore, with what wind we had, keeping at the distance of between two and three leagues. At noon we were in latitude 44° 47' having run only twelve leagues upon a N. E. N. courfe, during the laft four and twenty hours. We continued to fteer along the fhore, in the direcThurf. 15. tion of N. E. 4 E. till fix o'clock in the evening, when we brought to for the night. At four in the morning we stood in for the land, and when the day broke we faw what appeared to be an inlet; but, upon a nearer approach, |
