The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third VoyageCook, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VI. Being the Second of the Third Voyage
Cook, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
Our difficulties now began to increase. In the evening the wind came to
the north-west, blowing in squalls with hail and sleet; and the weather
being thick and hazy, I stood out to sea till near noon the next day,
when I tacked and stood in again for the land, which made its appearance
at two in the afternoon, bearing east north-east. The wind and weather
continued the same; but, in the evening, the former veered more to the
west, and the latter grew worse, which made it necessary to tack and
stand off till four the next morning, when I ventured to stand in again.
At four in the afternoon we saw the land, which, at six, extended from
north-east half east, to south-east by south, about eight leagues
distant. In this situation we tacked and sounded; but a line of a
hundred and sixty fathoms did not reach the ground. I stood off till
midnight, then stood in again; and at half past six, we were within
three leagues of the land, which extended from north by east, half east,
to south, half east; each extreme about seven leagues distant. Seeing no
signs of a harbour, and the weather being still unsettled, I tacked and
stretched off south-west, having then fifty-five fathoms water over a
muddy bottom.
That part of the land, which we were so near when we tacked, is of a
moderate height, though, in some places, it rises higher within. It was
diversified with a great many rising grounds and small hills; many of
which were entirely covered with tall straight trees; and others, which
were lower, and grew in spots like coppices; but the interspaces and
sides of many of the rising grounds, were clear. The whole, though it
might make an agreeable summer prospect, had now an uncomfortable
appearance, as the bare grounds toward the coast were all covered with
snow, which seemed to be of a considerable depth between the little
hills and rising grounds; and, in several places toward the sea, might
easily have been mistaken, at a distance, for white cliffs. The snow on
the rising grounds was thinner spread; and farther inland, there was no
appearance of any; from whence we might, perhaps, conclude that what we
saw toward the sea had fallen during the night, which was colder than
any we had experienced since our arrival on the coast; and we had
sometimes a kind of sleet. The coast seemed every where almost straight,
without any opening or inlet; and it appeared to terminate in a kind of
white sandy beach; though some on board thought that appearance was
owing to the snow. Each extreme of the land that was now before us,
seemed to shoot out into a point. The northern one was the same which we
had first seen on the 7th; and on that account I called it _Cape
Perpetua_. It lies in the latitude of 44° 6ʹ N., and in the longitude of
235° 52ʹ E. The southern extreme before us, I named _Cape Gregory_.[34]
Its latitude is 43° 30ʹ, and its longitude 235° 57ʹ E. It is a
remarkable point; the land of it rising almost directly from the sea to
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