*774«
September New Caledonia and this new difcovery, which the inftabi-
lity of the wind would not permit us to examine. We ob~
ferved, however, that a great reef enclofed thefe iflands,
which feemed entirely to preclude a paffage, and obliged
us to Hand on to the eaftward, in order to weather all the
d'iftant land in fight. This -part of our cruize was extremely
difagreeable and tantalizing ; we longed to have an
opportunity of examining the country, .and were at prefent-
in great diftrefs for frefli food. A fcanty portion of yams,
remained, which were eaten as dainties at the officers-
tables; but the CFew had not tafted any refrefliments fince
our departure from Namoka. The appearance of new
lands made but little amends, for the involuntary fall
which we kept, and only fupported our hopes of making
fbme fortunate difcovery, which might perhaps offer us.
frefli fupplies.
We did not obtain a; fettled breeze till the 26th in the.
evening, when we immediately began to ply to windward,
in order to double the large ifland before us. It confifted
o f a mountain of lefs elevation than New Caledonia, and
eafy o f afcent, every where furrounded by flat land, on which,
the columnar bodies were innumerable. As we made fe-
veral trips within two miles inrfhore, we were at laft com
vinced that they were nothing elfe than trees, which on a
prodigious tall ftem. had fhor.t and'flender branches, not dif-
eernible at a diftance.
W-e-
We doubled the eaftermoft extremity of this ifland, and September
of its reefs, on the 28th, at day-break, and then bore away
along its fouth-eaft fliore. Captain Cook, gave it the name
of Ifle of Pines, fufpecting the columnar trees upon it to be
of that kind. It feems to be about eighteen leagues in
circumference, and the middle is fituated in 2 2 0 40 S. and
167° 40/ E. The fouth-eaft wind, which had now fet in
very frefli, cooled the air fo much in this latitude, that the
thermometer funk to 68°, which caufed a difagreeable fen-
fation to our bodies, long ufed to a warmer climate. The
next day we found a paffage between feveral reefs, and Thurfday jqji
eame to an anchor off a little ifland, not above two miles
in circuit, which was covered with tall columnar trees,
though it was intirely flat and fandy. The fouth end of
New Caledonia was not above fix leagues diftant from
hence, and the fouthern coaft of that ifland feemed to run
nearly parallel to the northern, giving the whole a long,
narrow fliape. This fouth point, which was called the
Prince of Wales’s Foreland, lies in 2 20 30' S. and 16 6 °
5-8' E.
We hoifted a boat out immediately, and rowed to the
little iflet, which was about a mile and a half from us. It
was furrounded with a fmall reef of its own, in which we
found a narrow paffage, containing many rocks, notwith.
Handing which we landed with fafety. The tall trees immediately
demanded our firft attention, and we found that
they'