1775- was, on account of the day, named Cape Charlotte. On the
d - g L * weft fide of Cape Charlotte lies a bay which obtained the
W c d n e f. 18. name’ of Royal Bay> and the weft point of it was named
Cape George. It is the eaft point of Cumberland Bay, and
lies in the direction o f S. E. by E. from Cape Saunders, diftant
feven leagues. Cape George and Cape Charlotte lie in the
direction of S. 370 E. and N. 370 Weft, diftant fix leagues from
each other. The ifle above mentioned, which was called
Cooper’s Ifle, after my Firft Lieutenant, lies in the direction
o f S. by E. diftant eight leagues from Cape Charlotte. The
coaft between them forms a large bay, to which I gave
the name of Sandwich. The wind being variable all the
afternoon, we advanced but little ; in the night it fixed at
S. and S. S. W., and blew a gentle gale attended with fhowers
of fnow.
Ttarfday , gi The 19th was wholly fpent in plying, the wind continuing
at S. and S. S. W., clear pleafant weather, but cqld. At
fun-rife, a-new land was feen bearing S. E. 4. E. It!firft appeared
in a Angle hill like a fugar-loaf; fome time after,
other detached pieces appeared above the horizon near the
hill. At noon obferved in the latitude 540 42' 30" S., Cape
Charlotte bearing N. 38° Weft, diftant four leagues; and
Cooper’s ifle S. 31° Weft; In this fituation a lurking rock,
which lies off Sandwich Bay, five miles from the land, bore
W. i North, diftant one mile, and near this rock were fe-
veral breakers. In the afternoon we had a profpeft of
a ridge of mountains, behind Sandwich Bay, whofe lofty
and icy fummits were elevated high above the clouds. The
wind continued at S. S. W. till fix o’clock, when it fell ter a
calm. At this time Gape Charlotte bore N. 3 ip Weft, and
Cooper’s Ifland W. S. W. In this fituation we found the variation,
by the azimuths, to be 11” 39', and by the ampli-
8 tude,
tude, i i ° 12 'Eaft. At ten o’clock, a light breeze fpringing 07;^
up at North, we fleered to the South till twelve, and then t-----—
brought to for the night.
At two o’clock in the morning of the 20th, we made fail Friday 20.
to S. W. round Cooper’s Ifland. It is a rock of confiderable
height, about five miles in circuit, and one mile from the
main; At this ifle the main coaft takes a S. W. direction for
the fpace of four or five leagues to a point, which I called
Cape Difappointment. Off that, are three fmall ifles, the
fouthernmoft of which is green, low, and flat, and lies one
league from the Cape.
As we advanced to S. W„ land opened, off this point, in
the direction of N. 60° Weft, and nine leagues beyond it. It
proved an ifland quite detached from the main, and obtained
the name of Pickerfgill Ifland, after my third officer.
Spon after, a point of the main, beyond this ifland, came in
fight, in the direftion of N. 55° Weft ; which exactly united
the coaft at the very point we had feen, and taken the bearing
of, the day we firft came in with it, and proved to a de-
monftration that this land, which we had taken for part of
a great continent, was no more than an ifland of feventy
leagues in circuit.
Who would have thought that an ifland of no greater extent
than this, fituated between the latitude o f 54.0 and 35°,
fhould, in the very height of fummer, be, in a manner,
wholly covered, many fathoms deep, with frozen fnow ; but
more efpecially the S. W. coaft; the very fides and craggy
fummits of the lofty mountains were cafed with fnow and
'ice ; but the quantity which lay in the valleys is incredible;
and at the bottom of the bays, the coaft was terminated by a
V ol. II. E f . , wall