The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. I. Being the First of the First Voyage.Cook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. I. Being the First of the First Voyage.
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
In the afternoon we had a fresh breeze at west, and during the night
variable light airs and calms: in the morning a gentle breeze sprung up
between the N. W. and N. E., and having till now stood to the southward,
without seeing any probability of meeting with a harbour, and the
country manifestly altering for the worse, I thought that standing
farther in that direction would be attended with no advantage, but on
the contrary would be a loss of time that might be employed with a
better prospect of success in examining the coast to the northward;
about one, therefore, in the afternoon, I tacked, and stood north, with
a fresh breeze at west. The high bluff head, with yellowish cliffs,
which we were abreast of at noon, I called CAPE TURNAGAIN, because here
we turned back. It lies in latitude 40° 34ʹ S. longitude 182° 55ʹ W.,
distant eighteen leagues S. S. W. and S. S. W. ½ W. from Cape
Kidnappers. The land between them is of a very unequal height; in some
places it is lofty next the sea with white cliffs, in others low, with
sandy beaches: the face of the country is not so well clothed with wood
as it is about Hawke’s bay, but looks more like our high downs in
England: it is, however, to all appearance, well inhabited; for as we
stood along the shore, we saw several villages, not only in the valleys,
but on the tops and sides of the hills, and smoke in many other places.
The ridge of mountains which has been mentioned before, extends to the
southward farther than we could see, and was then every where chequered
with snow. At night we saw two fires, inland, so very large, that we
concluded they must have been made to clear the land for tillage; but
however that be, they are a demonstration that the part of the country
where they appeared is inhabited.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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