Sunday 22.
Monday 23.
We had variable light airs nest to a calm, and thick foggy
weather, till half pall feven o’clock in the evening o f the 22d*
when we got a fine breeze at North, and the weather was
fo clear that we could fee two or three leagues round us.
We feized the opportunity, and fleered to Weft; judging we
were to the Eaff of the land. After running ten miles to
the Weft, the weather became again foggy, and we hauled
the wind, and fpent the night under top-fails.
Nest morning at fis o’clock, the fog clearing away, fo that
we could fee three or four miles, I took the opportunity to
fleer again to the Weft, with the wind at Eaft, a frefh breeze »
but two hours after, ,a thick fog once more obliged us to haul
the wind to the South. At eleven o’clock, a fhort interval
of clear weather gave us view of three or four rocky iflots
extending from S. E. to E. N. E., two or' three miles diftant;
but we did not fee the Sugar Loaf Peak before mentioned.
Indeed, two or three miles was the extent of our horizon.
We were well allured, that this was the land we had feen
before, which we had now been quite round; and therefore
it could be no more than a few detached rocks, receptacles
for birds, of which we now faw vaft numbers, efpecially
fhags, who gave us notice of the vicinity of land before we
faw it. Thefe rocks lie in the latitude o f 550 S., and S„ 75° E.,
diftant twelve leagues, from Cooper’s Ille.
The interval of clear weather was of very fhort duration,
before we had as thick a fog as ever, attended with rain, on
which we tacked in fixty fathoms water, and flood to the
North. Thus we fpent our time involved in a continual
thick mill; and, for aught we knew, furrounded by dangerous
rocks. The fhags and foundings were our beft
■ pilots;
pilots; for after we had flood a few miles to 1 ■ the North, we J,'a7n7u5ar;y.
got out of foundings, and faw no more fhags. The fuc- <----.----1
ceeding day and night, were fpent in making fhort boards ; °" ay I3‘
and at eight o’clock on the 24th, judging ourfelves not far ^ t
from the rocks by fome ftraggling fhags which came about
us, we founded in fixty fathoms water, the bottom ftones
and broken fhells. Soon after, we faw the rocks bearing
S. S. W.£ W., four miles diftant, but ftill we did not fee the
Peak. It wds, no, doubt, beyond our horizon, which was
limited to a fhort diftance ; and, indeed, we had but a tran-
fient fight of. the other rocks, before they were again loft in
the fog.
With a light air of wind at North, and a great fwell from
N. E„ we were able to clear the rocks to the \Veft; and, at
four in the P. M., judging ourfelves to be three or four
leagues Eaft and Weft of them, I fleered South, being quite
tired with cruizing about them in a thick ,fog ; nor was it
worth my while to fpend any more time in waiting for clear
weather, only for the fake of having a good fight of a few
ftraggling rocks. At feven o’clock, we had, at intervals, a
clear fky to the Weft, which gave us a fight of the mountains
of the Ifle of Georgia, bearing W. N. W., about eight
leagues diftant. At eight o’clock we fleered S. E. by S., and
at,ten S. E. by E., with a frefh breeze at North, attended with
a very thick fog ; but we were, in fome meafure, acquainted
with the fea over which we were running. The rocks
above mentioned obtained the name of Clerke’s Rocks, after
my fecond officer, he being the firft who faw them.
C H A P .