The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. II. Being the Second of the First Voyage — John Shaqi
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
On the 23d, having a hollow swell from the S. E. and expecting wind from
the same quarter, we kept plying between seven and fifteen leagues from
the shore, having from seventy to forty-four fathom. At noon, our
latitude by observation was 44° 40ʹ S. and our longitude from Banks’s
Island 1° 31ʹ W. From this time to six in the evening it was calm; but a
light breeze then springing up at E. N. E. we steered S. S. E. all
night, edging off from the land, the hollow swell still continuing; our
depth of water was from sixty to seventy-five fathom. While we were
becalmed, Mr. Banks, being out in the boat, shot two Port Egmont hens,
which were in every respect the same as those that are found in great
numbers upon the island of Faro, and were the first of the kind we had
seen upon this coast, though we fell in with some a few days before we
made land.
At daybreak, the wind freshened, and before noon we had a strong gale at
N. N. E. At eight in the morning we saw the land extending as far as S.
W. by S. and steered directly for it. At noon, we were in latitude 45°
22ʹ S.; and the land, which now stretched from S. W. ½ S. to N. N. W.
appeared to be rudely diversified by hill and valley. In the afternoon,
we steered S. W. by S. and S. W. edging in for the land with a fresh
gale at north; but though we were at no great distance, the weather was
so hazy that we could see nothing distinctly upon it, except a ridge of
high hills lying not far from the sea, and parallel to the coast, which
in this place stretches S. by W. and N. by E., and seemed to end in a
high bluff point to the southward. By eight in the evening we were
abreast of this point; but it being then dark, and I not knowing which
way the land trended, we brought to for the night. At this time, the
point bore west, and was distant about five miles: our depth of water
was thirty-seven fathom, and the bottom consisted of small pebbles.
At daybreak, having made sail, the point bore north, distant three
leagues, and we now found that the land trended from it S. W. by W. as
far as we could see. This point I named CAPE SAUNDERS, in honour of Sir
Charles. Our latitude was 45° 35ʹ S., and longitude 189° 4ʹ W. By the
latitude, and the angles that are made by the coast, this point will be
sufficiently known; there is, however, about three or four leagues to
the south-west of it, and very near the shore, a remarkable saddle-hill,
which is a good direction to it on that quarter. From one league to four
leagues north of Cape Saunders, the shore forms two or three bays, in
which there appeared to be good anchorage, and effectual shelter from
the S. W. westerly, and N. westerly winds; but my desire of getting to
the southward, in order to ascertain whether this country was an island
or a continent, prevented my putting into any of them.
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