■ 774- anchoring more to the Weft; but I made choice of my fitu-
■ _ — ation for two reafons; firft, to he near the ifland we intended
to land upon; and fecondly, to be able to get to fea with
any wind.
After dinner we hoifted out three boats, and landed with
a large party of men; fome to kill feals ; others to catch or
kill birds, filh, or what came in our way. To find of the
former, it mattered not where we landed; for the whole
fhore was covered with them ; and, by the noife they liiacff
one would have thought the ifland was flocked with cows-
and calves. On landing, we found they were a different
animal from feals, bur in fhape and motion exactly refem-
bling them, We called them Lions, on account of the great
refemblance the male has to that beaft. Here were alfo the
fame kind of feals which we found in New Zealand, generally
known by the name of fea-bears ; at leaft we gave
them that name. They were, in general, fo tame, or rather
ftupid, as to fuffer us to come near enough to knock them
down with flicks ; but the large ones we fliot, not thinking
it fafe to approach them. . We alfo found on the ifland
abundance of penguins and fhags ; and the latter had young
ones almoft fledged, and juft to our tafte. Here were seefe
and ducks, but not many; birds of prey, and a few fmall
birds. In the evening we returned on board, our boats well
laden with one thing or other.
>775-
January,
Sunday i.
Next day, being January the ift, 17 75, finding that nothing
was wanting but a good harbour, to make this a tolefable
place for Ihips to refrelh at, whom chance or defign might
bring hither; I fent Mr. Gilbert over to Staten Land in the
cutter, to look for one. Appearances promifed fuccefs, in a
place oppofite the fhip. I alfo fent two other boats for the
9 lions,
lions,. See. we had killed the preceding day; and, foon after,
I went myfelf, and obferved the fun’s meridian altitude at
the N. E. end of the ifland, which gave the latitude 540 40'
5" South. After {hooting a few geefe, fome other birds, and
plentifully fupplying ourfelves with young {hags, we returned
on board, laden with fea-lions, fea-bears, See. The
old lions and bears were killed chiefly for the fake of their
blubber, or fat, to make oil o f ; for, except their harflets,
which were tolerable, the flefh was too rank to be eaten with
any degree of relifh. But the young cubs were very palate-
able ; and even the flefh of fome of the old lioneffes was not
much amifs ; but that o f the old males was abominable. In
the afternoon, I fent fome people on fhore to fkin and cut
off the fat of thofe which yet remained dead on fhore;
for wc had already more carcaffes on board than neceffary ;
and I went myfelf, in another boat, to colIett birds. About
ten o’clock Mr. Gilbert returned from Staten Land, where he
found a good port, fituated three leagues to the weftward
of Cape St.John, arid in the direction of North, a little eaft-
" erly, from the N. E. énd of the eaftern ifland. It may be
known by fome fmall iflands lying in the entrance. The
channel, which is on the eaft fide' of thefe iflands, is half a
milebroad. The courfe iff is S. W. by S., aiming gradually
to W. by S. and W. The harbour lies nearly’ in this laft
•direction; is almoft two miles in length; in fome places
near a mile broad; and hath in it from fifty to ten fathoms
water, a bottom of mud and fand. Its {bores are covered
with wood fit for fu e l; and in it are feveral ftreams of frefh
water. On the iflands were fea-lions, &c, and inch an innumerable
quantity o f gulls as to darken the air when dif-
turbed, and almoft to fuffoeate-our people with their dung.
This they feemed to void in a way of defence, and it flunk
C c 2 worfe
<77-1.
Januar/,
Sunday i*