The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
Having brought to for the night, we made sail along the shore at four in
the morning, in the direction of N. E. ½ N. with a moderate breeze at S.
S. E. At noon our latitude, by observation, was 45° 13ʹ S. At this time,
being about a league and a half from the shore, we sounded, but had no
ground with seventy fathom: we had just passed a small narrow opening in
land, where there seemed to be a very safe and convenient harbour,
formed by an island, which lay in the middle of the opening at east. The
opening lies in latitude 45° 16ʹ S., and on the land behind it are
mountains, the summits of which were covered with snow, that appeared to
have been recently fallen; and indeed for two days past we had found the
weather very cold. On each side of the entrance of the opening, the land
rises almost perpendicularly from the sea to a stupendous height, and
this indeed was the reason why I did not carry the ship into it, for no
wind could blow there but right in, or right out, in the direction of
either east or west, and I thought it by no means advisable to put into
a place whence I could not have got out but with a wind which experience
had taught me did not blow more than one day in a month. In this,
however, I acted contrary to the opinion of some persons on board, who
in very strong terms expressed their desire to harbour for present
convenience, without any regard to future disadvantages.
In the evening, being about two leagues from the shore, we sounded, and
had no ground with 108 fathom: the variation of the needle, by azimuth,
was 14° E. and by amplitude 15° 2ʹ. We made the best of our way along
the shore with what wind we had, keeping at the distance of between two
and three leagues. At noon, we were in latitude 44° 47ʹ, having run only
twelve leagues upon a N. E. ¼ N. course, during the last four-and-twenty
hours.
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