A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 06: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
Going from Point Degrad, and entering the before-mentioned Bay of the
Castles, we were rather doubtful of two islands on the right hand, one
of which is 3 leagues from Cape Degrad and the other seven. This last is
low and flat, and seemed part of the main land. I named it St Catherines
Island. Its north-east extremity is of a dry soil, but the ground about
a quarter of a league off is very foul, so that it is necessary to go a
little round. This island and the Bay of the Castles trend N.N.E. and
S.S.W. 15 leagues distant from each other. The port of the Castles and
Port Gutte, which is in the northern part of the bay, trend E.N.E and
W.S.W. distant 12-1/2 leagues. About two leagues from Port Balance, or
about a third part across the bay, the depth of water is 38 fathoms.
From Port Balance to _Blanc Sablon_, or the White Sands, it is 15
leagues W.S.W. but about 3 leagues from the White Sands to the S.W.
there is a rock above water like a boat. The _White Sands_ is a
road-stead quite open to the S. and S.E. but is protected on the S.W. by
two islands, one of which we called the Isle of Brest, and the other the
Isle of Birds, in which there are vast numbers of Godetz, and crows with
red beaks and red legs, which make their nests in holes under ground
like rabbits. Passing a point of land about a league beyond the White
Sands, we found a port and passage which we called the _Islets_, which
is a safer place than the White Sands, and where there is excellent
fishing. The distance between the Islets and a port named Brest is about
10 leagues. The port of Brest is in lat. 51° 55'[30]. Between it and the
Islets there are many other islands, and the said port of Brest is among
them, being surrounded by them for above three leagues farther. All
these small islands are low, and the other lands may be seen beyond
them. On the 10th of June we went into the port of Brest, to provide
ourselves with wood and water; and on St Barnabas Day, after hearing
divine service, we went in our boats to the westwards, to examine what
harbours there might be in that direction.
[Footnote 30: If right in the latitude in the text, Cartier seems now to
have got upon the coast of Labradore, to the north-west of Newfoundland;
yet from the context he rather appears to have been on the north-end of
Newfoundland, about Quirpon Harbour, the Sacred Isles, or Pistolet
Bay.--E.]
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