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
been able to acquire during our whole stay upon the coast.
On the 6th, about six o’clock in the morning, a light breeze sprung up
at north, and we again got under sail; but the wind proving variable, we
reached no farther than just without Motuara; in the afternoon, however,
a more steady gale at N. by W. set us clear of the Sound, which I shall
now describe.
The entrance of Queen Charlotte’s Sound is situated in latitude 41° S.,
longitude 184° 45ʹ W., and near the middle of the south-west side of the
streight in which it lies. The land of the south-east head of the Sound,
called by the natives KOAMAROO, off which lie two small islands and some
rocks, makes the narrowest part of the streight. From the north-west
head a reef of rocks runs out about two miles, in the direction of N. E.
by N.; part of which is above the water, and part below. By this account
of the heads, the Sound will be sufficiently known: at the entrance it
is three leagues broad, and lies in S. W. by S. S. W. and W. S. W. at
least ten leagues, and is a collection of some of the finest harbours in
the world, as will appear from the plan, which is laid down with all the
accuracy that time and circumstances would admit. The land forming the
harbour or cove in which we lay, is called by the natives TOTARRANUE:
the harbour itself, which I called SHIP COVE, is not inferior to any in
the Sound, either for convenience or safety: it lies on the west side of
the Sound, and is the southernmost of three coves, that are situated
within the island of Motuara, which bears east of it. Ship Cove may be
entered, either between Motuara and a long island, called by the natives
HAMOTE, or between Motuara and the western shore. In the last of these
channels are two ledges of rocks, three fathom under water, which may
easily be known by the sea-weed that grows upon them. In sailing either
in or out of the Sound, with little wind, attention must be had to the
tides, which flow about nine or ten o’clock at the full and change of
the moon, and rise and fall between seven and eight feet
perpendicularly. The flood comes in through the streight from the S. E.
and sets strongly over upon the north-west head, and the reef that lies
off it: the ebb sets with still greater rapidity to the S. E. over upon
the rocks and islands that lie off the south-east head. The variation of
the compass we found, from good observation, to be 13° 5ʹ E.
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