2 0 6 A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
a7?ü w*t^1 intervals o f clear fpots, which gave it fome refemblance to a country
—r——> in an advanced Hate of cultivation.
The weather having become more clear and pleafant at noon, cape
Orford was vifible aftern nearly in the horizon, bearing by compafs
s. l i e . 5 leagues diftant; the neareft Ihore about a league diftant eaft; a
fmall projecting point, forming the north point of a fmall cove off which
lie five detached rocks, n. 23 e., diftance 7 miles ; and the northernmoft
. land in fight, which I confidered to be cape Blanco, N. 2 E.; the obferved
latitude was 43" f f ; longitude 2350 42'; and the variation 16“ eaft-
wardly.
Having now a fine gale from th es .s. w . with ferene and pleafant
weather, we ranged along the coaft at the diftance of about a league, in
hopes of determining the exiftence or non-exiftence of the extenfive river
or ftraits, afferted to have been difcovered by Martin D ’Aguilar. About
three in the afternoon we paffed within a league of the Cape above-mentioned
; and at about half that diftance from fome breakers that lie to the
weftward of it. This Cape, though not fo projecting a point as cape
Orford, is neverthelefs a confpicuous one, particularly when feen from
the north, being formed by a round hill on high perpendicular cliffs,
fome o f which are white, a confiderable height from the level of the fea-.
Above thefe cliffs it is tolerably well wooded, and is connected to the
main land, by land confiderably lower. In this refpeCt it feemed exaCtly to
anfwer Captain Cook’s defcription of cape Gregory ; though its fituation
did not appear to correfpond with that afligned to cape Gregory by Captain
Co o k ; our obfervations placing it in latitude 430 23'; longitude
■ 235° 50'; whence the coaft tends N. 21 E. About a league north of thé
pitch of the Cape, the rocky cliffs compofing it terminate, and a com-
paft white fandy beach commences, which extends along the coaft 8
leagues,. without forming any vifible projecting point or head land;
We failed along this beach at a diftance of from 3 to 5 miles, and had
there been any projecting point or inlet in it, neither could have efcaped
our obfervation. This induced me to confider the above point as thé
cape Gregory of Captain Cook, with a probability of its being alfo the
cape Blanco of D’Aguilar, if land hereabouts the latter ever faw. The
difference
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 207
difference in latitude between our computation and that of Captain Cook i SpI
was 7 '; our obfervations placing the Cape that diftance farther fouth. This 1
might poflibly have been oecafioned by the tempeftuous weather with which
the Refolution and Difcovery contended when off this coaft, preventing the
pofition of the feveral head lands being then afcertained with that accuracy,
which the fair winds and pleafant weather have enabled us to aflign to them.
The land feen to the fouth of cape Gregory by Captain Cook,1 and by him
confidered as anfwering nearly to the fituation o f cape Blanco, muft have
been fome of the inland mountains which to the fouth o f cape Gregory
rife to a great height; whilft the land near the fea fhore, particularly in
the neighbourhood of cape Orford, was much.too low to have been feen at
the diftance which Captain Cook was at that time from it; and it is fair
to prefume, that the exceffive bad weather led Captain Cook and his officers
to confider the extremely white fand on the fea fhore and on the
hills to be fnow. With us it p u t. on the fame appearance, excepting
where it was interrupted by the clumps of trees, and until it was intirely
loft in the foreft. There could be no doubt of its being miftaken in winter
for fnow; but as the general temperature of the thermometer fince
our arrival on the coaft had been at 59 and 60, the brror of fuch conclu-
fion was fufficiently manifefted.
The night was fpent as before t and in the morning we failed along Thmf. 26.
the coaft, which extended from s. E. by s. to .v. f E.; the land we hauled
off from the preceding evening, s. 40 e. 4 or 5 leagues; and the neareft
fhore eaft, fix or feven miles diftant. A confiderable increafe in the wind
from the s.w. with appearances of a threatening nature, made me confider
it not prudent to venture nearer than within 2 or 3 leagues of the
fhore ; which being greatly obfcured by the hazinefs of the atmofphere,
prevented out feeing much o f the inland country. We loft fight again of
the fandy beaches and low fhores, and in lieu of them we were prefented
with a ftrait and compaa.coaft, compofed of fteep craggy rocky cliffs,
nearly perpendicular to the fea, with a retired mountainous country much
broken, and forming a great variety of deep chafms; the whole but
thinly covered with wood. At eight we paffed the only projeffing point
from cape Gregory. It is a high rocky bluff, nearly perpendicular to
(