January aild at noon were in latitude 5° 33', longitude 271° 7'; having been fet
1----.--- 1 during the lafl twenty-four hours 13' to the north, and 11' to the eaft of
our reckoning.
The clear weather was not of long continuance in the fouthern quarter,
although the oppofite fide of the horizon retained its former appearance;
for by fun-fet we could hot fee a mile from the Ihip in the eaftern, fouthern,
or fouth-weftem quarters. The various kinds of birds became more
numerous, and having at length reached the ftated parallel.of the ifland,
we plied during the night, which was attended by variable winds, fome rain,
Monday 19. and dark gloomy.weather. This continued until noon the next day, when
the obferved latitude was 5° 14', longitude 271° 9'; being 10' to the
north, and 4' to the eaft of what the log fhewed. The weather now
admitted of an extenfive view all round, but no land was in fight; and: as,
the number of birds, was confiderably leffened, fome additional reafons
were offered in fupport of the former opinion, that we had left the ifland
to the fouth-weftward of us. Of this however I was by no means convinced,
as in my feveral traverfes. over the pacific ocean, I had feldom
found that fuch indications amounted to a proof of the very near vicinity
of land.
With the wind between the fouth and s. w., although I had continued:
during the night to the fouth-eaftward, we were nqt able, to: keep our
Tuefday 20. fouthing; for. the obferved-latitude at noon the following day was 5? 16',
the longitude 271“ 52', which was 24' further north, and 10' further eaft
than was given by our reckoning.
In the courfe of the laft three or four days we had,, in different in-
ftances, been deceived for a fhort time both by night and .day, by very
heavy dark clouds which affumed the, appearance of land. Shortly after
noon afimilar refemblance was feen from the maft-head at agreatdiftance,;
bearing e . n . e ., which was not given credit to as being land, until aided
by a gentle breeze and the. current, we had approached nearer to it by 3
leagues, when it was decided beyond all queftion to be land. Concluding it
to be the long-looked for ifland of Cocos, at the diftance of 14 or 16.
leagues, ,the glad tidings were communicated .by fignal, to our little
confort. All the turtles h£d now left us, but we had ftill many fiflres and
fea
fea fowl attending ns, though thefe were not quite fo numerous as on the
preceding evening, The night was calm, or accompanied with light variable
winds, which continued with rain and dark gloomy weather until noon
the next clay, fo that no obfervatiöns coüld be obtained for afcertaining the
{hip’s fituation : we had however made fome progrefs, as the ifland now
bore by compafs n . 73 É . to N . 81 E . , not more than 6 or 7 leagues from
us. In this we; had been- much aflifted by thecurrent fetting Us direftly towards
the land, the fouth-weft extremity of which appeared in this point
of view, to rife abruptly from thé fea’ in fteep rugged cliffs to a confi-
derable height ; and then in a moderate afcent to- its mot elevated part ;
this was a hill of no very great fize ; from whence it defcended with a
more uniform declivity to its northern extremity, which appeared like a
detached iflet.
The wind, which had been variable in the evening, became very light,
and-I was not without my apprehenfions that the current might force' us
paft the ifland, before we might have an opportunity of making choice'
of a fituation for anchoring; That no time might be loft, about two in
the following morning, being then fufficiently near the land for one of
our boats to be in with the fhores by day-light, Mr. Whidbey was dif-
patched in,the cutter to make the neceflary examination. During this
andrthe three or four preceding nights thé Tea had prefented a very lumi-’
nous: appearance, but I was not able to afcertain with fatisfaftion the
caufe of it. After the boat had left the Ihip, we ufed our utmoft endeavours
to preferve our ftation to the fouth-weft of the ifland, but to no
effeS ; the current foon after dày-light drove us beyond its weftern end,
and although our head was tó the fouth-weft, we were driven at a great
rate paft its northern fide, within a few miles of its fhores. Thefe appeared,
to be indented into fmall bays, with -rocks and iflets lying near
them; but they by no means exhibited that inviting appèarance'which
has been reported of them by Lionel- Wafer * and others; Thefe fhores
were chiefly compofed of broken perpendicular cliffy précipices, beypnd
which the furface rofe unevenly to the fUmmit of the ifland ; the whole
compofihgone rude connefted thicket of fmall trees hearthe fhore, but
on the more elevated and-'- interior parts many large fpreading trees were'
'3 A 2 feen,
•V id e Col-
lettion o f
Voyages to
the fóüthern
hemifphere,
in 2 vols,
oftavo, pub.
in 1788.