worfe than affa-fcetida, or as it is' commonly called devil’s
dung. Our people alfo faw feveral geefe, ducks, and race-
horfes, which is alfo a kind of duck. The day on which
this port was difcovered, occafioned my calling it New Year’s
Harbour. It would be more convenient for fhips bound to
the Weft, or round Cape Horn, if its fituation would permit
them, to put to fea with ah eafterly and northerly wind.
This inconvenience; however, is of little confequence, fince
thefe winds are never known to he of long duration. The
foutherly and wefterly are the prevailing winds ; fo that a
Ihip can never be detained long in this port.
Monday *. As we could not fail in the morning of the ad, for want-
of wind, I fent a party of men on fhore to the ifland, on
the fame duty as before. Towards noon we got a frefti
breeze at Weft; but it came too late, and I refolved to wait
Tuesday 3. till the next morning, when, at four o’clock, we weighed
with a frefli gale at N. W. by W., and flood for Cape St. John,
which, at half paft fix, bore N. by E., diftant four or five miles.
This Cape, being the eaftern point of Staten Land, a defcrip-
tion of it is unnecelfary. It may, however, not be amifs to
fay, that it is a rock of confiderable height, fituated in the
latitude of 54° 46' South, longitude 64° 7' Weft, with a rocky
iflot lying clofe under the north part of it. To the weftward
of the Cape, about five or fix miles, is an inlet whichTeemed
to divide the land ; that is, to communicate with the fea to
the South; and between this inlet and the Cape, is a hay;
but I cannot fay of what depth. In failing round the Cape,
we met with a very ftrong current from the South: it made
a race which looked like breakers ; and it was as much as
we could do, with a ftrong gale, to make head againft it.
»775- January.
Sunday i.
After getting round the Cape, I hauled up along the fouth
coaft; and as foon as we had brought the wind to blow off
the land, it came upon us in fuch heavy fqualls as obliged
us to double-reef our top-fails. It afterwards fell, by little
and little, and at noon ended in a calm. At this time Cape
St. John' bore N. 20° Eaft, diftant three and a half leagues ;
Cape St. Bartholomew, or the S. W. point of Staten Land, S.
83° Weft; two .high detached rocks N. 80° Weft; and the
place where the land feemed to be divided, which had the
fame appearance on this fide, boreN. tj°Weft, threeleagu.es
diftant. Latitude obferved. 5:4° 56'. In this fituation we
founded, but had no bottom with a line of one hundred and
twenty fathoms. The calm was of. very fliort duration, a
breeze prefently fpringing up at N. W .; but it was too faint
to make head againft the current,, and,we drove with it back
to the N. N. E. At four o’clock the wind veered, at once, to
S. by E., and blew in fqualls attended with rain. Two hours
after, the fqualls and rain fubfided, and the wind returning
back to the Weft, blew a gentle gale. All this time the current'fet
us to the North; fo that, at eight o’clock, Cape St.
John bore W. N. W., diftant about feven leagues. I now
gave over plying, and fleered S. E., with a refolution to leave
the land; judging it to be fufficiently explored, to anfwer
the moft general purpofes of navigation and geography.