1769. one inch to windward the laft twenty-four hours, which
December. ^ J
ov— v— t confirmed our opinion that there was a current to the eaft-
Sundayiy. , . ward. The point of land I called North Cape, it being the
northern extremity of this country. It lies in latitude
340 22' S. longitude i;86° 5 ƒ W. and thirty-one leagues diftant
from Cape Bret, in the direction of N. 63 W. It forms-
the north point of Sandy Bay,1 and is a peninfula jutting out
N. E. about two miles, and terminating in a bluff head that
is flat at the top. The ifthmus which joins this head to the
main land is very low, and for that reafon the land o f the
Cape, from feveral fituations, has the appearance of an
ifland. It is ftill more-remarkable when it is feen from the
fouthward, by the appearance of a high round ifland at the
S. E. point of the Cape; but this alio is a deception; for
what appears to be an ifland is a round hill, joined to the
Cape by a low narrow neck o f land. Upon the Cape we faw
a Hippah or village, and a few inhabitants; and on the fouth
eaff fide of it there appears to be anchorage, and good fhel-
ter from the fouth weft and north weft winds.
Thurfday 21. We continued to Hand off and on, making N. W. till noon
on the 2 tft, when North Cape boreS. 39 E. diftant thirty-eight
Saturday ay. leagues. Our fituation varied only a few leagues till the 23d,
when, about feven o’clock in the evening, we faw land from
Sunday 24. the maft-head, bearing S. t E. At eleven the next morning, we
faw it again, bearing S. S.E. at the diftance of eight leagues:
we now flood to the S. W.; and at four o’clock, the land bore
S. E. by S. diftant four leagues, and proved to be a fmall
ifland, with other iflands or rocks, ftill fmaller, lying off the
fouth weft end of it, and another lying off the north eaft
end, which were difcovered by Tafman and called the Three
Kings. The principal ifland lies in latitude 34° 12' S. longitude
187° 48' W. and diftant fourteen or fifteen leagues from
North Cape, in the direction of W. 14 N. At midnight, we
9 lacked
R O U N D T H E WORLD.
tacked and flood to the N. E. till fix the next morning, which 1769-
was Chriflmas day, when we tacked and flood to the fouth- ^ ^ — i
ward. At noon, the Three Kings bore E. 8 N. diftant five or Moniay 2S’
fix leagues. The. variation this morning by the azimuth
was i i ° 25!E..
On the 16th, we ftood’to the fouthward’clofe upon a wind; Tuefday z6u.
and at noon, were in latitude 35° 10'S, longitude 188° 20'W.
tire Three Kings bearing N. 26 W. diftant twenty-two leagues.
In this fituation we had no land’ in fight; and yet, by obfer-
vation, we were in the latitude of the Bay of Iflands; and by
my reckoning but twenty leagues to the weftward of North
Cape: from whence it appears, that the northern part of this
ifland is very narrow ; for otherwife we muft’have feeri fome
part of the weft fide of it. We flood to the fouthward till-
twelve at night, and then tacked and flood to the northward:
At four o’clock in. the morning,, the wind frefhened, and vMnef. 27.
at nine, blew a ftorm ; fo that we were obliged to bring the
fhip to under her mainfail. Ourcourfe made good between
noon this day and yefterday was S.S. W. 4 W- diftance eleven,
miles. ■ The Three Kings bore N. 27 E. diftant feventy-feven
miles. The gale continued all this day,, and till two the
next morning, when it fell, and began to veer.to thefouth- Thurftl.yzfc.
ward and S.W. where it fixed about four, when we made fail
and fleered eaft in for the land, under the fore-fail and main-
fail; but thé wind then rifing, and'By eight o’clock being
increafed to a hurricane, with a prodigious- féa, we were:
obliged to take in the main-fail ; we then wore the fhip, and:
brought her to with-her head'to the north weft. At noon
the galé was foméwhat abated, but we-had ftill heavy-
fqiialls'.. Odr cburfe made good this day, was north, a little:
eaftei’lyi, twenty-nine, miles;. latitude by account: 34® 50 &.■ -
longitude.-