The next morning, being the first of May, seeing nothing of the land, I steered north-easterly, with a fresh breeze at S. S. E. and S., with squalls and showers of rain and hail. Our latitude at noon was 54° 43ʹ, and our longitude 224° 44ʹ. At seven in the evening, being in the latitude of 55° 20ʹ, we got sight of the land, extending from N. N. E. to E., or E. by S., about twelve or fourteen leagues distant. An hour after I steered N. by W., and at four the next morning, the coast was seen from N. by W. to S. E., the nearest part about six leagues distant.[54] At this time the northern point of an inlet, or what appeared to be one, bore E. by S. It lies in the latitude of 56°, and from it to the northward, the coast seemed to be much broken, forming bays and harbours every two or three leagues, or else appearances much deceived us. At six o’clock, drawing nearer the land, I steered N. W. by N., this being the direction of the coast, having a fresh gale at S. E., with some showers of hail, snow, and sleet. Between eleven and twelve o’clock, we passed a group of small islands lying under the main land, in the latitude of 56° 48ʹ, and off, or rather to the northward of, the S. point of a large bay. An arm of this bay, in the northern part of it, seemed to extend in toward the N., behind a round elevated mountain that lies between it and the sea. This mountain I called _Mount Edgecumbe_, and the point of land that shoots out from it, _Cape Edgecumbe_. The latter lies in the latitude of 57° 3ʹ, and in the longitude of 224° 7ʹ, and at noon it bore N. 20° W., six leagues distant. The land, except in some places close to the sea, is all of a considerable height, and hilly; but Mount Edgecumbe far out-tops all the other hills. It was wholly covered with snow; as were also all the other elevated hills; but the lower ones, and the flatter spots, bordering upon the sea, were free from it, and covered with wood. As we advanced to the north, we found the coast from Cape Edgecumbe to trend to north and north easterly for six or seven leagues, and there form a large bay. In the entrance of that bay are some islands; for which reason I named it the _Bay of Islands_. It lies in the latitude of 57° 20ʹ[55]; and seemed to branch into several arms, one of which turned to the south, and may probably communicate with the bay on the east side of Cape Edgecumbe, and make the land of that cape an island. At eight o’clock in the evening, the cape bore south-east half south; the Bay of Islands N. 53° E.; and another inlet, before which are also some islands, bore N. 52° E., five leagues distant. I continued to steer N. N. W., half W., and N. W. by W., as the coast trended, with a fine gale at N. E., and clear weather.