■ 775. fell little wind, and we were left to the mercy of a great
. Febr“-ary'. wefterly fwell, which fet right upon the fliore. We founded,
but a line of two hundred fathoms found no bottom. At
eight o’clock, the weather, which had been very hazy, clearing
up, we faw Cape Briftol bearing E. S. E., and terminating
in a point to the North, beyond which we could fee no land.
This difcovery relieved us from the fear of being carried by
the fwell on the moil horrible coaft in the world, and we
continued to Hand to the North all night, with a light breeze
at Weft. '
On the i ft o f February, at four o’clock in the morning, we
Wednef.' g0t fight of a new coaft, which at fix o’clock bore N. 6o° Eaft.
It proved a high promontory, which I named Cape Montagu,
fituated in latitude 58° 27' S., longitude 26° 44' Weft, and
feven or eight leagues to the north of Cape Briftol. We faw
land from fpace to fpace between them, which made me
conclude that the whole was connected. I was forry I could
not determine this with greater certainty; but prudence
would not permit me to venture near a coaft, fubjeCt to thick
fogs, on which there was no anchorage; where every
port was blocked or filled up with ice ; and the whole country,
from the fummits of the mountains, down to the very
brink of the cliffs which terminate the coaft, covered, many
fathoms thick, with everlafting fnow. The cliffs alone was
all which Was to be feen like land.
Several large ice iflands lay upon the coaft ; one of which
attracted my notice. It had a flat furface, was of confiderable
extent both in height and circuit, and had perpendicular
fides, on which the waves o f the fea had madenoimpreflion ;
by which I judged that it had not been long from land, and
that it might lately have come out of fome bay on the coaft,
where it had been formed.
At noon we were Eaft and Weft of the northern part of Fel)'r„jry_
Cape Montagu, diftant about five leagues, and Freezeland - '
Peak bore S. 160 Eaft, diftant twelve leagues; latitude ob-
ferved j8° 25' S. In the morning the variation was io° 11
Eaft. At two in the afternoon, as we were {landing to the
North, with a light breeze at S. W., we faw land bearing N.
25' Eaft, diftant fourteen leagues. Cape Montagu bore at
this time, S. 66° Eaft; at eight it bore S. 40° Eaft; Cape Briftol,
S. by E.; the new land extending from N. 400 to 520 Eaft;
and we thought we faw land ftill more to the Eaft, and beyond
it.
Continuing to fteer to the North all night, at fix o’clock the Thurflay a.
next morning, a new land was feen bearing N. 12 Eaft, about
ten leagues diftant. It appeared in two hummocks juft
peeping above the horizon ; but we foon after loft .fight of
them ; and having got the wind at N; N. E. a frefh breeze,
we ftood for the northernmoft land we had feen the day before,
which at this time bore E. S. E. We fetched in with it by
ten o’clock, but could not weather it, and were obliged to tack
three miles from the coaft, which extended from E. by S. to
S. E., and had much the appearance of being an ifland of
about eight or ten leagues circuit. It {hews a furface of
confiderable height, whofe fummit was loft in the, clouds,
and like all the neighbouring lands, covered with a flieet of
fnow and ice, except in a projecting point on the north fide,
and two hills feen over this point, which probably might be
two iflands. Thefe only were clear of fnow, and feemed covered
with a green turf. Some large ice iflands lay to the
N. E., and fome others to the South.
We ftood off till noon, and then tacked for the land again,
in order to fee whether it was an ifland or no. The weather
G g a was