*793- Under thefe circumftances, it caJftwt be matter of furprize December. ' ' ' ' .......... that _ the_ coun-
1--- v— ■> try Ihould prefent a defolate and melancholy appearance. The fmaller
portions of fmoke which role in various places direSed our glalfes in
quell of inhabitants, but neither thefe, nor any habitations, were feen
within the limits o f our examination.
Light winds and long nights rendered our progrefs fo flow, that by
the evening our refearches had not extended more than 8 leagues along
the coalt from Todos'Santos, where we gained foundings in go fathoms
water, about 2 miles from the fhore; this from point Grajero takes a
direction s. 35 £., and excepting the coves before mentioned, is nearly
ftraight and perfe&ly compaft. In this fituation we noticed a confpi-
cuous projecting point o f land, very moderately elevated, ftretching to
the fouth-wellward into the ocean, terminating in low fteep cliffs, and
riling with a very gradual afcent to the interior country, which is mountainous.
Somewhere in the vicinage o f this point, as I was informed, either
the million of SB Vincenta, or that o f St. Thomas, had been fettled
in the year 1778, but We faw no appearance o f any buildings,, nor of
land under cultivation.
During the firft part of the night, which pafled as before, the wind
blew ftrong from the e . n, e . ; this, though not fo violent as we had experienced
before from that quarter, nor attended with any fmoke, was
neverthelefs very uncomfortable, by caufing a dry parching heat, not
only on the hands and face expofed to its immediate influence, but alfo,
though in a lefs degree, over the whole body. This e . n . e . breeze
died away about midnight, and was fucceeded by light airs from the
s. e. ; againll thefe we plied, and by our obfervation at noon on the
Thurfdayi2. following day we had reached the latitude of 31°, longitude 2430 51'. In
this fituation the fouthernmoft land in fight bore by compafs a. 72 E,; the
projecting point, n . 81 e ., and the northernmollland in fight, N. 21 w . ; the
above projecting point is fituated in latitude 30° 57', longitude 244° 1',
and notwithllanding it is very remarkable, from its lhape and appearance,
as likewife by its forming a bay on its north-weft, and another on its
fouth-ealt fide, it is not taken any notice of in the Spapilh charts ;
I have
I have therefore called it C a p e C o l n e t t , after Captain Colnett o f the _ *793;
navy.. .. ■ ■
This promontory bore a Very lingular chara&er as we pafled; the cliffs
already defcribed as compofing it are, about the middle between their
fummit and the. water .fide,- divided horizontally, nearly into two equal
parts, and formed of. different materials ; the lower part feemed to con-
fill o f fand or clay of a very finooth furface and light Colour; the upper
part was evidently of a rocky fubltance, with a .very Uneven furface,
and of a dark colour ; this.. feemed-1 to be again divided into narrow columns
by vertical; ftrata. Thefe apparent divifions, as well horizontally
as vertically, exifted with great uniformity alt round the promontory.
Early in the afternoon wedifeovered to the fouth-eaffward fomething
like a duller of illands, and obferved, that the bay on the fouth-eall fide
o f cape Colnett extended to the nortli-eall; which, although o f no great
extent, appeared likely to afford tolerably good- Ihelter. The wind continued
in the fouthern quarter until the evening, when it was fucceeded
by light ealterly breezes from the land, which continued Until near noon
the next d a y ; we however made fome progrefs, paffmg before an ex- Friday 13.
tenfive bay, formed by cape Colnett, and a point of land off which
thefe illands appeared to lie. Our dillance of 8 or g miles from thefe
Ihores when off the bay, was much greater than I could have wifhed, and
was occafioned by the direction o f the wind, which had prevented our
approaching as I had intended, with the hope of obtaining a view o f the
million of El Rofario founded in the year 1776, not far from the'fea
Ihore, and fomewhere in this neighbourhood.
I was very anxious to become acquainted with this fettlement, as
there feemed to be a great probability of our being able to land near it,
and to have acquired from the Rev. Fathers fome fubllantial information
refpefting the Dominican miffionaries, whofe ellablilhments commence
fouthward from St. Diego, and continue all the way to cape St. Lucas;
and as we had not hitherto had any intercourfe with this religious order,
an interview with them would have been elleemed a very defirable con-
fideration.
Vox,. II. g © We