A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: 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 12: 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
At daylight, the next morning, we saw land, for which we made sail, and
ran along the lee-side of it. On the weather-side there were very great
breakers, and the lee-side was rocky, but in many places there appeared
to be good anchorage. We saw but few inhabitants, and they appeared to
live in a manner very different from those of King George's Island,
their habitations being only small huts. We saw many cocoa-nut and other
trees upon the shore; but all of than had their heads blown away,
probably in a hurricane. This island is about six miles long, and has a
mountain of considerable height in the middle, which seems to be
fertile. It lies in latitude 17° 28' S., and longitude, by our last
observation, 151° 4' W. and I called it _Sir Charles Saunders's Island_.
On the 29th, the variation of the compass, by azimuth, was 7° 52' E.;
and early the next morning, at day-break, we saw land bearing from N. by
E. to N.W. We stood for it, but could find no anchorage, the whole
island being surrounded by breakers. We saw smoke in two places, but no
inhabitants. A few cocoa-nut trees were growing on the lee-part of it,
and I called it _Lord Howe's Island_. It is about ten miles long, and
four broad, and lies in latitude 16° 46' S., longitude, by observation,
154° 13' W.
In the afternoon, we saw land bearing W. by N. and stood for it. At five
o'clock, we saw breakers running a great way out to the southward, and
soon after, low land to the S.W. and breakers all about it in every
direction.
We turned to windward all night, and as soon as it was light, crowded
sail to get round these shoals. At nine we got round them, and named
them _Scilly Islands_. They are a group of islands or shoals extremely
dangerous; for in the night, however clear the weather, and by day, if
it is hazy, a ship may run upon them without seeing land. They lie in
latitude 16° 28' S. longitude 155° 30' W.
We continued to steer our course westward, till daybreak on the 13th of
August, when we saw land bearing W. by S. and hauled towards it. At
eleven o'clock in the forenoon, we saw more land in the W.S.W. At noon,
the first land that we saw, which proved to be an island, bore W. 1/2 S.
distant about five leagues, and had the appearance of a sugar-loaf; the
middle of the other land, which was also an island, and appeared in a
peak, bore W.S.W. distant six leagues. To the first, which is nearly
circular, and three miles over, I gave the name of _Boscawen's Island_;
and the other, which is three miles and a half long, and two broad, I
called _Keppel's Isle_. Port Royal at this time bore E. 4° 10' S.
distant 478 leagues.
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