*795«
February. current, that, on the 5th, the mod fouthern of thefe two iflands was dill
in fight, and at noon bore by compafs N. 31 w., diftant 8 or g leagues.
The obferved latitude at this time was 59', longitude 268,>27;:by the
dead reckoning 271° 24'; having, in the lad twenty-four hours, been.fet.
by the current feven miles to the north, and forty-eight miles to the wed-
ward. As we were now approaching the equator, and as the fca was tolerably
fmooth, fome further obftrvations were made on the vertical inclination
of the magnetic needle, which Ihewed
The marked end North face Ead, - - 7° 8'
Ditto ditto Wed, - - 8 3
Ditto South face Ead, - - 7 28
Ditto ditto Wed, - ~ • ' 7
_ Mean inclination., - - - 7 28
The variation of the compafs, at the fame time, - 8 eadwardly.
We advanced fo {lowly from thefe iflands,.that at fun-fet thefouthern-
moft of them was dill within our view, hearing by compafs n. 12 w .
The wind was moftly at s, s. w. during the night, with this we dood to
Friday 6. the fouth-eadward, and. at day-light on friday morning difcovered a more
extenfive land than the two iflands we had jud pafled, bearing by. compafs
from s. 10 e . to s. 35 e, This land appeared to be very lofty,, to
be at a confiderable didance from us, and. to be divided into three or
more iflands; but as we approached it the lefs elevated parts were feen
to be connedted, fo that, in the forenoon, it feemedto be only divided into
two portions, and even this divifion was rendered doubtful, as we drew
nearer to it, by the low land riling to view until about noon, when the
whole extended by compafs from s.42 e. to s. 10 e., with a detached:
rock s. 2 w. In this Ctuation the obferved latitude was 28' north, the
longitude 268°32'; having been fet, in the laft twenty-four hours, by the
current twenty-fix miles, to the weftward. This, however, appeared to
have taken place in the early part of that day, as fince our having
made the land in the morning, we had approached it with a light
breeze, without having apparently been influenced by any current
, - whatever.
In
In the afternoon a pleafant breeze fprang up from the fouth-weftward,
with which we flood elofe-hauled in for the land', and before fun-fet faw «--- ^— 1
very plainly, that what we had for fome hours before confidered to be two
iflands, was all conneSted by deprefled land on which was a hummock,
that had alfo appeared like a final! iflarid; and beyond this low land, at a
confiderable difiance to the fouthward, was feen an extenfive lofty table
mountain. The land immediately before us formed alfo towards its eafh-
ern extremity a fimilar table mountain, and towards its weftern point a
very regular fhaped round mountain,' which, though not of equal height
to the others., was yet of confiderable elevation, and in this point o f view
feemed to defend with great uniformity. The eafternmoft, terminating
in a low point with fome fmall hummocks upon it, at fix in the evening
bore by compafs S.47 E . ; the wefternmoft, which terminated.more abruptly,
s. 13'w .; and the detached rock, which is fteep, with a flattop,
s. 71 w.. The whole of this connected land appeared now to form an
extenfive lofty traft; and as I had no intention of flopping, the objeft
for confideration was, on which fide we Ihould be moft likely to .make the
beft paffage ? The fouth-weft wind from its fteadinefs, and the appearance
of the weather, feemed to be fixed in that quarter, and as w e
approached the Ihorewe found a ftrong current fating to windward; I.
therefore did not hefitate to ufe our endeavours to pafs to the weftward
of this iftand, which under all circumftances appeared to me to be the-
beft plan to purfue.
We drew in with the iftand until about nine at night, when.we were
within about a league of its fhores, and finding that the windward current
was the ftrongeft near to the land, the night was employed in.makmg fliort'
trips between the lhores of the Aland and the flat rock before mentioned,1,
frequently trying for foundings with 100 fathoms of line without fuecefs.
The next morning we were nearly up with the weftern extremity o f the Saturday 7.
iftand, and as the weather was fair and pleafant with a very gentle breeze
of wind, I wilhed, whilft the fliip Was turning up along fhore, to acquire
fome knowledge o f what the country confifted, and for that purpofe immediately
after breakfaft Mr. Whidbey, accompanied by Mr. Menzies,
was difpatched with orders to land fomewhere to the fouthward of the
V>, . weftern