one of the quarter-mailers heard in the tier, the water rufhing about in
the hold. The hand pumps were foon in order; and, to relieve the
Ihip as foon as poffible, the crofs piece of the bits was unihipped, the
launch got forward, and with the chain pumps the Veffel by feven
O’clock was made perfeftly dry. The gale had now increafed to a moll
furious ftorm, nearly equal to that we had experienced in Dulky Bay.
The torrents of rain which fell, mixing with the fea raifed by the violent
flurries o f the wind, kept us fo much in darknefs that we could not
perceive any thing at the dillance of an hundred yards in any direction;
nor were we able to refume our fouthwardly courfe ; the wind and fea
obliging us to fleer s. s.e . or right before the ftorm. We had not feen
the Chatham fince eleven o’clock the preceding evening, but concluding
Ihe would Hand on if able to purfue a foutherly courfe, I did not wilh
to bring to for her; particularly, as the wind was fuch as would foon fet
us clear of the coaft of New Zealand, which was doubtlefs a very de-
firable objeft.
Towards nine in the forenoon the ftorm began to abate; at ten the
wind veered round to the w. s .w . ; the rain ceafed, and the atmofphere
became clear, but the Chatham was not to be difcovered in any direction.
There was, however, great probability of her,being to windward;
and as I was ftill apprehenlive of a s.w. gale before we Ihould be clear
o f this coaft, I determined to lofe no time m getting far enough to the
fouthward to enable us to fail round the land and the Traps with fuch
a wind. As Matavai Bay in Otaheite was the next appointed rendezvous,
I concluded Mr. Broughton would do the fame, and make the bell o f
his way with the Chatham to that port. The mainfail and clofe-reefed top-
fails {all the fail the Ihip would bear) were now fet, and keeping the wind on
the beam, we fleered s . s.e . ; when about eleven o’clock, to our great afto-
nilhment land was difcovered, bearing eaft 4 or 5 leagues diftant. We
knew of no land nearer than the fouth cape of New Zealand; and, by the
courles we had fleered there was fcarcely a poflibility of our being within
lefs than 18 or 20 leagues of the Cape; but being flattered with the prof-
peft of a meridional obfervation for the latitude, our decifion was poft-
poned until that Ihould be afcertained. Noon brought us nearer the land,
which
which by compafs Lore n ,e . by e . to e .nje. at the dillance o f three or four >79'-
leagues only. By , a tolerably good obfervation in latitude 48-5'it was ,Novembe^f
clearly proved, that this land could not, from its fituation, be any part
o f New Zealand, .as it was nearly three fourths o f a degree to the fouthward
of the moll fouthern promontory of that country. Our longitude
by the chronometer, was at this time i 66°4'; which fituation was 18'
more fouth, and 13' more eaft, than the log gave. The weather, though
very hazy, being fomething clearer than before noon, we beheld, as we
palfed this land at the dillance of two or three leagues, the fea breaking
upon its Ihores with great violence, and difcovered it to be compofed of
a duller of feven craggy iflands, extending about fix miles in a diredion
N. 70 E, and s. 70 w . T h e y . appeared deftitute o f verdure, and it is
more than probable they never produce any. The large!!, which is the
north-eafternmoll, I Ihould fuppofe to be in extent equal to all the reft;
it is about three leagues in circuit, fufficiently elevated to be feen in clear
weather eight or nine leagues off, and is fituated in latitude 48° 3', longitude
1669 20'. The latitude was afcertained by three fextants which nearly
agreed; and the longitude reduced by the chronometer from Dulky
Bay, by three fets of altitudes in the afternoon; viz. one fet.before
we palfed its meridian; another under i t ; the third after we had palfed
it. As thefe feverally correlponded within a mere trifle, when reduced to
the fame point, I Ihould prefume that the longitude above dated is not
likely to be materially incorreÊl. It was matter of fome furprize how
thefe iflands could have efcaped the attention of Captain Cook; but on
laying them down in his chart of New Zealand, I found his tracks had
not at any time reached within at leaft ten leagues of them. From the
fouth cape they bear s. 40 w. lg leagues, and from the fouthernmoft
part of the Traps s. 62% w. 20 leagues diftant. Thefe iflands, or rather
rocks, for they appeared perfeflly fteril, I have named, on account
o f their fituation, and the fort o f weather there is great reafon to ex-
pe£l in their vicinity, T h e S n a r e s ; as being very likely to draw the
unguarded mariner into alarming difficulties. A t four o’clock in the afternoon,
the Snares bore by compafs N. 30 w . five or fix leagues diftant.
At day-light the next morning, -we hauled to the n .e . By noon, the Friday aS.
gale