1765. eight the h e f t ffibfnihg, the Cape bore N. by W. diftant two
■ h"“a_ry- f ieagUês. Otir latitude was 51 ° 5o', and oür foundings were
Tuefday s. ejéven ang twelve fathom. We now brought tó for the
Tamar, who had cothe through the north channel, and was
foine leagiies aftern o f us, and while we were waiting for
her coming up, the officer o f the watch informed me that
the head of the main-maft was Iprung: 1 immediately went
up to look at it myfelf, and found it fplit alnlOft in a ftrait
line perpendicularly for a cóhfiderable length, but I could
not difcover exadtly how far thé fiffiire went, for the cheeks
that were upon the maft. We imagined this to have happened
in the very hard gale that had overtaken us feme time
before, but as it was o f more importance to contrive hew to
repair the damage, than difcover how it happened, We immediately
put on a ftröng fifti, and woolded it fo well, that
we had reafon to hope the maft would be as fervicêablé as
ever. Cape Virgin Mary now bore S. 6a W. diftant twenty-
one leagues, and our latitude was 51° 50'S., longitude 6g°
$6' W .; the variation 20° E.
Wednef. 9. On the $>th, having failed S. 67 E. our latitude was 52° 8' S.
our longitude 68° at' W. and Cape Virgin Mary bore S. 83
W. diftant thirty-three leagues.
TtmrfHay 10. On the loth, there having been little wind for the laft
twenty-four hours, between the north and eaft, with thick
fogg y weather, our courfe was N. 18 W. for thirty-nine
miles. Our latitude was 51° 31' S. longitude 68° 44' W.; variation
20° E. and Cape Virgin Mary bore S. 60 W. diftant
thirty-three leagues.
Friday m On the n th , we had ftrong gales at S. W. with a great fea;
our courfe was N. 87 E. for ninety-nine miles. Our latitude
was 31° 24' S. longitude 66° 10'W. Cape Virgin Mary bore
S. 73° 8'W. diftant fixty-five leagues, and Cape Fair weather
W. 2S.
W. 2 S. diftant feventy leagues; the variation was now 19° E.
About feven in the evening, I thought I faw land a-head of —,----*
us, hut the Tamar being feme leagues a-ftern, I wore fhip,
and made an eafy fail off: the next morning, at break o f Saturday iz,
day, I flood in again, the wind having lhifted in the night
to N. W. and about four o’clock, I recovered fight o f the
land a-head, which had the appearance of three iflands : I
imagined they might be the iflands of Sebald de Wert, but
intending to ftand between them, I found that the land
which had appeared to be feparated, was joined by foine
very low ground, which formed a deep bay. As foon as I
had made this difcovery, I tacked and flood out again, and
at the fame time faw land a great way to the fouthward,
which I made no doubt was the fame that is mentioned
in the charts by the name o f the New Iflands. As I was
hauling out of this bay, I faw a long, low flhoal of rocks,
ftretching out for more than a league to the northward o f
us, and another of the fame kind lying between that and
what we had taken for the northermoft o f De Wert’s iflands.
This land, except the low part, which is not feen till it is
approached near, confifts of high, craggy, barren rocks,
Which in appearance very much refemble Staten Land.
When I had got fo near as to difcover the low land, I was
quite embayed, and i f it had blown hard at S. W. fo great a
fea rnuft have rolled in here as would have rendered it
almoft impoffible to claw off the feo re ; all fhips, therefore,
that may hereafter navigate thefe parts, fliould avoid falling
in with it. The feals and birds here are innumerable; we
faw alfo many whales fpouting about us, feveral of which
were of an enormous fize. Our latitude now was 51° 27 S.,
longitude 63° 54'W.; the variation was 23° 30' E. In the
evening we brought to, and at day-break the next morning, Sunday »j.
flood in for the north part o f the ifland by the coaft o f which
we