T774-
SEPTEMBER.
Saturday. 17.
jThurfday a*.
tried in vain to find a paflage, we left that part, and prepared
to range the fouth-eaft end of New Caledonia, The no,r-.
thernmoft lands, which we had feen, lie in i 90 37' S. and
1 63 ° 40" E.
The nest morning we palled the didrifi: of Balladd,
■ where we had lain at anchor. Repeated calms rendered our
courfe very tedious; we did not advance above twenty
leagues in two days, and Hill feeing the land to the fauth of
us, were apprehenfive- of coming late to New Zeeland,
where it was now faid we {hould prepare for the laft fouth-
ern cruize. We continued however Handing to the eaft-
ward, and fomewhat foutherly, having gentle breezes which
tailed feveral hours, between the calm intervals. On the
2 2d, in the evening* we faw a remarkable bluff point on
the land, which was named Gape Coronation, in commemoration
of that day. The reefs which had enclofed thé'
northern coafts of New Caledonia, did not- extend to this
part; but as we had hitherto kept at the diftane of'four or
five leagues, we could not difcern any thing of the nature
of the country, except that the ridge of mountains continued
to run along of the fame height as near our anchoring-
place, and without any remarkable prominences or peaks.
In the morning we faw a fpot of ground, which could not
be lefs than ha lf a mile in length, from whence a quantity
of fmoke afcended. The fea coaft near it was covered with
innumerable columnar forms, of a confiderable height,
which
which we diftinguifhed by the help o f our glaffes. Some s,
of them Hood remote from each other, but far the greater
part were placed in clofe, and feemingly compaft, groups.
The nature of the pillars of Bafaltes, which are found in
many .parts of the world*, gave us fome reafon to look
upon thefe extraordinary appearances as fo many colonnades
of Bafaltes ; and having fo lately feen feveral volcanoes in
the neighbourhood, and one fo near as Tanna, we were
greatly ftrengthened in this opinion, it being afferted by
the moft judicious and experienced mineralogifts, that bafaltes
is a volcanic production. In the evening, having left
Cape Coronation aftern, we difcerned a vaft quantity of
thefe columnar forms projecting into the fea, on a flat point.
Early on the 24th, we came in fight o f a cape which
terminated New Caledonia to the eaft ; it was rather fieep,
but of no" great height, and perfectly level at the. top to a
confiderable diftânee. A number of pillars flood upon it,
which fomething invalidated the opinion of their being
bafalt-COlumns. This cape, which captain Cook named
Queen Charlotte’s Foreland, lies in 220 1 / S. and 167°
j ƒ £, in the evening, towards fix o’clock, another lfland
was difcovered far to the fouth-eaft from the tnaft-head, and
the next morning feveral fmall iflands appeared between
. Near A l to n , or Syene, in Upper Egypt ; at Bolfena in Italy ; near Hadie in
Arabia Felix ; at Hildefheim, Stolpen, and Y a u e f, in different parts o f Germany ,
in the Hebrides of Scotland ; and in the.county o f Antrim in Ireland.
K k k 2 Nev?
»774*
ÏPTEMBER