The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third VoyageKing, James
History
The Three Voyages of Captain Cook Round the World. Vol. VII. Being the Third of the Third Voyage
King, James
Cook, James, 1728-1779 -- Travel; Explorers -- Great Britain -- Biography; Voyages around the world -- History -- 18th century
About eight miles from land, we perceived ourselves in a strong
rippling; and being apprehensive of foul ground, we bore away to the N.
E., along the shore; notwithstanding, on heaving the lead, we found
regular soundings of twenty-four fathoms, over a gravelly bottom; from
whence we concluded, that this appearance was occasioned by a tide, at
that time running to the southward. At noon, the extremes of the land
bearing W. S. W. three quarters W., and N. N. E. three quarters E.,
distant from the nearest shore four leagues, we were abreast of the low
land, which we now perceived to join the two points, where we had before
expected to find a deep bay. The coast bends a little to the westward,
and has a small inlet, which may probably be the mouth of some trifling
stream. Our latitude, by observation, was 61° 56ʹ, and longitude 175°
43ʹ, and the variation of the compass 17° 30ʹ E.
We continued during the afternoon to run along the shore, at the
distance of four or five leagues, with a moderate westerly breeze,
carrying regular soundings from twenty-eight to thirty-six fathoms. The
coast presented the same barren aspect as to the southward, the hills
rising considerably inland, but to what height the clouds on their tops
put it out of our power to determine. At eight in the evening, land was
thought to have been seen to the east by north, on which we steered to
the southward of east, but it turned out to be only a fog-bank. At
midnight, the extreme point bearing north-east a quarter east, we
supposed it to be Saint Thadeus’s Noss; to the southward of which the
land trends to the westward, and forms a deep bight, wherein, according
to the Russian charts, lies the river Katirka.
On the 29th the weather was unsettled and variable, with the wind from
the north-east. At noon of the 30th, our latitude by observation was 61°
48ʹ, and longitude 180° 0ʹ, at which time Saint Thadeus’s Noss bore
north-north-west, twenty-three leagues distant, and beyond it we
observed the coast stretching almost directly north. The most easterly
point of the Noss is in latitude 62° 50ʹ, and longitude 179° 0ʹ, being
3-1/2° more to the east than what the Russians make it. The land about
it must be of a considerable height, from its being seen at so great a
distance. During the two last days, we saw numbers of whales, large
seals, and sea-horses; also gulls, sea-parrots, and albatrosses. We took
the advantage of a little calm weather to try for fish, and caught
abundance of fine cod. The depth of water from sixty-five to
seventy-five fathoms.
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