I775-
Jan u a r y .
Tuelday 31,
The difcovery of this land happened on the 3.1ft of January,
at feven in the morning, when the weather was fo
hazy, that we could not fee four or five miles aro.und us.
We ran towards it near an hour, when we were within half
a mile of the rocks, which were black, cavernous, and perpendicular
to a vaft height, inhabited by flocks of fhags,
and beaten by dreadful breakers. Thick clouds veiled the
upper parts of -the mountains, but one immenfe peak appeared
towering beyond them, covered with fnow. It was
agreed by all prefent, that the perpendicular height of this
mountain .could not be far fliort of two miles. We founded
with 1 jjd fathom clofe in fliore, and then put about, ftanfl-
ing to the fouth, in .order to weather the weftern point,
which we had now difcovered. We had ,nat run above an
hour on this tack, when we faw high rmountains ,tp the
S. S.-E. about five or fix leagues diftant, which, from the
courfe we had kept, we muft have narrowly .efcaped about
midnight. This being the fouthernmoft extremity of the
land, my father named it Southern Thule, a name which
captain Cook has preferved. It is fituated in S9° 30/ S.
and 2 7 0 30' W. At one o’clock in the afternoon we put
about, and flood to the northward, beyond the point which
we had firft feen. This now appeared to be a black rock,
feparated from a great projecting head-land. The rock was
named Freezeland’s Head, from a German failor who firft
difcovered it, and lies in 38° yy'.S. and 27? W. The
headhead
land, which has fince been named Cape Briftol, appeared
to be connected with the Southern Thule, by fome
lands which we faw very far to the eaftward, forming a
fpacious bay. Captain Cook, however, did not venture to
lofe any time in the inveftigation of this coaft, where he
was expofed to imminent danger from the violence of
wefterly winds. He chofe rather to explore its northern
extremities, which befides, were doubtlefs the moft likely to
be of importance to navigators. We kept at the diftance
of two or three leagues from the land, having little winds,
and feeing the coaft every where fteep and inacceffible.
The mountains appeared to be of vaft height, their fummits
being conftantly wrapped in clouds, and the lower part covered
with fnow down to the water’s edge in fuch a manner,
that we fhould have found it difficult to pronounce
whether we faw land or ice, if fome hollow rocks had not
Ihewn their black and naked caverns in feveral places.
We found ourfelves abreaft of another projecting point in
the morning, which captain Cook has fince named Cape
Montague, and which feems to be connected with Cape
Briftol, a kind of bay lying between them. Beyond -it we
difcovered another point to the north, which upon our
nearer approach was found to be a feparate ifland, and
named Saunders’s Ifland. It Was not inferior in height to
the mountainous coaft to the fouth of it, and was covered
V o l ; II. Z z z with
MU Jan u a r y#