«~74- of fifli mentioned by Quiros*, under the name of Pargos,
i_— **— i which poifoned the crews of his fhips, fo that it was fome
Sundaj 24. tjme before they recovered; and we fhould, doubtlefs, have
been in the fame fituation, had more o f them been eaten.
Monday ay. At day-break on the 35 th, we made a fhort ftretch to the
Eaft of Shepherd’s Ifl.es till after fun-rife, when, feeing no
more land in that direction, we tacked and flood for the
ifland we had feen in tlie South, having a gentle breeze at
S. E. We pafled to the Eaft of Tbreehills, and likewife of a
low ifle, which lies on the.S„-E. fide of it, between a remarkable
peaked rock which obtained the name of Monument,
and a fmali ifland named Twohills, on account of two
peaked hills upon it, disjoined by a low and narrow ifthmus.
The channel between this ifland and the Monument is near
a mile broad, and twenty-four fathoms deep. Except this
rock, which is only acceflible to birds, we did not find an
ifland on which people were not feen. At noon, we obferved,
in latitude 17° 3 8’ 30"; longitude, made from Port Sandwich,
45' Eaft. In this fituation the Monument bore N, 160
Eaft, diftant two miles; Twohills bore N. 250 Weft, diftant
two miles, and in a line with the S. W. part o f Threehills;
and the iflands to the South extended from S. 16° 30' E. to
S. 42° Weft.
Continuing our courfe to the South, at five P. M. we drew
near the fouthern lands, which we found to confift of one
large ifland, whofe fouthern and weftern extremities extended
beyond our fight, and three or four fmaller ones, lying off its
North fide. The two northernmoft are much the largeft, have
a good height, and lie in the direction of E. by S. and W. by
N. from each other, diftant two leagues. I named the one
• Dalrymple’s Collection of Voyages, vol. i. p. 14.0, 141.
Montagu,
41
Montagu, and the other Hinchinbrook, and the large ifland '^74-
Sandwich in honour of my noble patron the Earl of Sandwich. 1---- -----<
Seeing broken water ahead, between Montagu and Hinchin- Monday ~5’
brook illes we tacked; and foon after it fell calm. The
calm continued till feven o’clock the next morning, when it Tueda>'z5-
was fucceeded by a breeze from the weftwar’d. During the
calm, having been carried by the currents and a S. E. fwell,
four leagues to the W. N. W., we pafled Hinchinbrook Ifle,
faw the weftern extremity of Sandwich Ifland, bearing
S. S. W., about five leagues, diftant, and at the fame time
difcovered a fmali ifland to the Weft of this direction. After
getting the wefterly breeze, I fleered S. E., in order to pafs
between Montagu Ifle and the north end of Sandwich Ifland.
At noon we were in the middle of the channel, and obferved
in latitude 170 3 1 'S. The diftance from one ifland to the
other is about four or five miles; but the channel is not
much above half that breadth, being contra died by breakers.
We had no foundings in it with a line of forty fathoms.
As we pafled Montagu Ifle feveral people came down to -
the fea-fide, and, by figns, feemed to invite us afhore. Some
were alfo feen on Sandwich Ifland, which exhibited a moft
delightful profpecl, being fpotted with woods and lawns,
agreeably diverfified, over the whole furface. It hath a
gentle Hope from the hills, which are of a moderate height,
down to the fea-coaft. This is low and guarded by a chain
of breakers, fo that there is no approaching it at this part.
But more to the Weft, beyond Hinchinbrook Ifland, there
feemed to run in a bay fheltered from the reigning winds.
The examining it not being fo much an objedt with me as
the getting to the South, in order to find the fouthern extremity
of the Archipelago, with this view I fleered S. S. E.,
V ol. II. G being