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
On the 1st of July at noon, Mr. Bligh having moored a small keg with the
deep-sea lead in seventy-five fathoms, found the ship made a course
north by east half a mile an hour. This he attributed to the effect of a
long southerly swell, and not to that of any current. The wind
freshening from the south-east toward evening, we shaped our course to
the north-east by east for the point called in Beering’s chart
Tschukotskoi Noss, which we had observed on the 4th of September last
year, at the same time that we saw to the south-east the island of Saint
Laurence. This Cape and Saint Thadeus’s Noss form the north-east and
south-west extremities of the large and deep Gulf of Anadir, into the
bottom of which the river of that name empties itself, dividing as it
passes, the country of the Koriacs from that of Tschutski.
On the 3d at noon the latitude, by observation, was 63° 33ʹ, and the
longitude 186° 45ʹ; half an hour after which we got sight of the
Tschukotskoi Noss, bearing north half west, thirteen or fourteen leagues
distant, and at five in the afternoon saw the island of St. Laurence,
bearing east three quarters north; and another island a little to the
eastward of it, which we supposed to be between Saint Laurence and
Anderson’s Island, about six leagues east-south-east of the former. As
we had no certain account of this island, Captain Clerke was desirous of
a nearer prospect, and immediately hauled the wind toward it; but
unfortunately we were not able to weather the island of Saint Laurence,
and were therefore under the necessity of bearing up again, and passing
them all to the leeward.
We had a better opportunity of settling the longitude of the island
Saint Laurence when we last saw it, than now. But seeing it at that time
but once, and to the southward, we could only determine its latitude so
far as we could judge of distances, whereas now the noon observations
enabled us to ascertain it correctly, which is 63° 47ʹ. Its longitude
was found to be 188° 15ʹ, as before. This island, if its boundaries were
at this time within our view, is about three leagues in circuit. The
north part may be seen at the distance of ten or twelve leagues; but as
it falls in low land to the south-east, the extent of which we could not
see, some of us conjectured that it might probably be joined to the land
to the eastward of it; this, however, the haziness of the weather
prevented our ascertaining. These islands, as well as the land about the
Tschukotskoi Noss, were covered with snow, and presented us with a most
dreary picture. At midnight, Saint Laurence bore south-south-east, five
or six miles distant, and our depth of water was eighteen fathoms. We
were accompanied by various kinds of sea fowl, and saw several small
crested hawks.
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