A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13Kerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
several situations, has the appearance of an island. It is still more
remarkable when it is seen from the southward, by the appearance of a
high round island at the S.E. point of the Cape; but this also is a
deception; for what appears to be an island is a round hill, joined to
the Cape by a low narrow neck of land. Upon the Cape we saw a Hippah or
village, and a few inhabitants; and on the south-east side of it there
appears to be anchorage, and good shelter from the south-west and
north-west winds.
We continued to stand off and on, making N.W. till noon on the 21st,
when North Cape bore S. 39 E. distant thirty-eight leagues. Our
situation varied only a few leagues till the 23d, when, about seven
o'clock in the evening, we saw land from the mast-head, bearing S. 1/2
E. At eleven the next morning, we saw it again, bearing S.S.E. at the
distance of eight leagues: We now stood to the S.W.; and at four
o'clock, the land bore S.E. by S. distant four leagues, and proved to be
a small island, with other islands or rocks, still smaller, lying off
the south-west end of it, and another lying off the north-east end,
which were discovered by Tasman, and called the Three Kings. The
principal island lies in latitude 34° 12' S. longitude 187° 48' W. and
distant fourteen or fifteen leagues from North Cape, in the direction of
W. 14 N. At midnight, we tacked and stood to the N.E. till six the next
morning, which was Christmas day, when we tacked and stood to the
southward. At noon, the Three Kings bore E. 8 N. distant five or six
leagues. The variation this morning by the azimuth was 11° 25' E.
On the 26th, we stood to the southward close upon a wind; and at noon,
were in latitude 35° 10' S longitude 188° 20' W. the Three Kings bearing
N. 26 W. distant twenty-two leagues. In this situation we had no land in
sight; and yet, by observation, we were in the latitude of the Bay of
Islands; and by my reckoning but twenty leagues to the westward of North
Cape: From whence it appears, that the northern part of this island is
very narrow; for otherwise we must have seen some part of the west side
of it. We stood to the southward till twelve at night, and then tacked
and stood to the northward.
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