May0' t0 'whic'î we repaired : we found ten fmall fires ftill burning
— 1 within a few paces o f each other ; but the people were Wednef. 23. - ‘ r r
gone : we law near them lèverai ve fiels of bark, which we
fuppofed to have contained water, and fome Ihells and fifli-
bones, the remains of a recent -meal. We faw alfo, lying
upon the ground, feveral pieces of foft bark, about the
length and breadth of a man, which we imagined might be
their beds ; and, on the windward fide of the fires, a fmall
fhade, about a foot and a half high, of the fame fubftance.
The whole was in a thicket of clofe trees, which afforded
good fhelter from the wind. The place feemed to be milch
trodden, and as we faw no houfe, nor any remains of a houfe,
we were inclined, to believe that as thefe people had no
clothes, they had no dwelling ; but fpent their nights, among
the other commoners of Nature, in the open air : and Tupia
himfelf, with an air of fuperiority and companion, Ihook
his head, and faid that they were Taaia Enos, * poor wretches*’
I meafured the perpendicular height of the laff tide, and
found it to be eight feet above low-water mark, and from
the time of low water this day, I found that it muftbe high-
water at the full and change o f the moon at eight o’clock.
Thurfday 24. At four o’clock in the morning we weighed, and with à
gentle breeze at fouth made fail out of the bay. In Handing
out our foundings were from five to fifteen fathom ; and at
day-light, when we were in the greateft depth, and abreaft
of the north head o f the bay, we difcovered breakers ftretch-
ing out from it N. N. E. between two and three miles, with a
rock at the -outermoft point of them, juft above water. While
we were paffmg thefe rocks, at the diftance of about half a
mile, we had from fifteen to twenty fathom, and as foôn
as we had paffed them, we hauled along Chore W. N. W. for
the fartheft land we had in fight. At noon, our latitude by
obfervation
obfervation was 23° 5,2' S.; the north part of Buftard Bay bore 1770.
S. .62 E. diftant ten miles ; and the northermoft land in fight ■ - 1' ■
N. 60 W.; -the longitude was 208° 37', and our diftance from Tlmrrds>r **•
the neareft fhorefix miles, with fourteen fathom water.
Till five in the afternoon it was calm, but afterwards we
fleered before the wind N. W. as the land lay till ten at night,
and then brought to, having had all along fourteen and fifteen
fathom. At five in the morning we made fail; and at
day-light the northermoft point of the main bore N. 70 W.
Soon after we faw more land, making like iflands, and bearing
N.W. by N. At nine, we were abreaft of the point, at
the diftance of one mile, with fourteen fathom water. This
point I found to lie dire&ly under the Tropic of Capricorn ;
and for that reafon I called it C ape C a p r i c o r n t its longitude
is 2080 58' W .: it is of a confiderable height, looks white and
barren, and may be known by fome iflands which lie to the
N.W. of it, and fome fmall rocks at the diftance of about a
league S. E. On the weft fide o f the Cape there appeared to
be a lagoon, and on the two fpits which formed the entrance
we faw an incredible number of the large birds that refemble
a pelican. The northermoft land now in fight bore from
Cape Capricorn N. 24 W. and appeared to be an ifland; but
the main land trended W. by N. 1 N. which eourfe we fleered,
having from fifteen to fix fathom, and from fix to nine, with a
hard fandy bottom. At noon, our latitude by obfervation was
23 ° 24' S.; Cape Capricorn bore S. 60 E. diftant two leagues ;
and a fmall ifland N. by E. two miles : in this fituation we
had nine fathom, being about four miles from the main,
which, next the fea, is low and fandy, except the points
which are high and rocky. The country inland is hilly, but
by no means of a pleafing afpeift. We continued toftand to
the N.W. till four o’clock in the afternoon, when it fell"
5 calm;