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
At eight o'clock the next morning, we were about five leagues from the
land, and off a place which lies in latitude 86° 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 course 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, bound by higher lands on each
side, 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. distant forty-four leagues, and a half; so that the
coast must be almost straight in the direction of S.S.E. 3/4 E. and
N.N.W. 3/4 W. nearly. In about latitude 35° 45' is some high land
adjoining to the sea; to the southward of which the shore is also high,
and has the most desolate and inhospitable appearance that can be
imagined. Nothing is to be seen but hills of sand, on which there is
scarcely a blade of verdure; and a vast sea, impelled by the westerly
winds, breaking upon it in a dreadful surf, renders it not only forlorn,
but frightful; complicating the idea of danger with desolation, and
impressing the mind at once with a sense of misery and death. From this
place I steered to the northward, resolving never more to come within
the same distance of the coast, except the wind should be very
favourable indeed. I stood under a fresh sail all the day, hoping to get
an offing by the next noon, and we made good a course of a hundred and
two miles N. 38 W. Our latitude by observation 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 miles.
At day-break on the 6th, we saw the land which we took to be Cape Maria,
bearing N.N.E. distant eight or nine leagues: And on the 7th, in the
afternoon, the land bore east: And some time after we discovered a
turtle upon the water; but being awake, it dived instantly, so that we
could not take it. At noon, the high land, which has just been
mentioned, extended from N. to E. at the distance of five or six
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 sailed within sight of land all this day, with gentle gales between
the N.E. and N.W.; and by next noon had sailed sixty-nine miles, in the
direction of S. 37 E.; our latitude, by observation was 36° 39' S. The
land which on the 4th we had taken for a bay, now bore N.E. by N.
distant five leagues and a half; and Cape Maria N. 29 W. forty-seven
leagues.
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