'774- the Foreland; but, as we drew near, We perceived more
September. yjeSi bgyond the one already mentioned, which at laft
.Sunday ZS. appeared t0 be conriefted by breakers, extending towards
the Foreland, and feeming to join the fhore. We flood on
■ till half paft three o’clock, when we faw, from the deck,
.rocks, juft peeping above the furface of the fea, on the
fhoal above mentioned. It was now time to alter the courfe,
as the day was too far fpent to look for a paflage near the
fhore, and we could find no bottom to anchor in during the
night. We therefore flood to the South, to look for a paflage
without the fmall ifles. We had a fine breeze at E. S. E.,
but it lafted no longer than five o’clock, when it fell to a
dead calm. Having founded, a line of 170 fathoms did not
reach the bottom, though we were but a little way from the
fhoals, which, inftead o f following the coaft to S. W., took a
S. E. dire&ion towards the hill we had feen the preceding
evening, and feemed to point out to us that it was necefiary
to go round that land. At this time the mod advanced
point on the main bore S. 68° Weft,, diftant nine or- ten
leagues. About feven o’clock we got a light breeze at North,
which enabled us to fleer out E. S. E., and to fpend the night
with lefs anxiety. On fome of the low ifles were many of
thofe elevations already mentioned. Every one was now
fatisfied they were trees, except our naturalifts ; who ftill
maintained that they were Bafaltes.
Monday 26. About day-break on the 26th,' the wind having fhifted to
g. s. W., we ftretched to S. E. for the hill before mentioned.
It belonged to an ifland which at noon extended from S. i6tf
E. to S. 70 Weft, diftant fix leagues. Latitude obferved 22°
16' South. In the P. M. the wind frefhened, and veering to
iraeflay 27. S. S, E., we ftretched to the Eaft, till tvyo A. M,, on the 27th,
when
when we tacked and flood to S. W., with hopes of weather- Se
in? the ifland; but we fell about two miles fhort of our ex- <--------- -
6 . . r ~ _ 2a ■ „ Tueiday 27.
pedlations, and had to tack about a mile from the Ealt tide
of the ifland, the extremes bearing from N. W. by N. to S.
W., the hill Weft, and fome low ifles, lying off the S. E.
point, S. by W. Thefe feemed to be connected with the
large ifland by breakers. We founded when in flays, but
had no ground with a line of eighty fathoms. The fkirts o f
this ifland were covered with the elevations more than once
mentioned. They had much the appearance of tall pines,
which occafioned my giving that name to the ifland. The
round hill, which is on the S. W. fide, is of fuch a height as
to be feen fourteen or fix-teen leagues. The ifland is about a
mile in circuit, and fituated in latitude 22° 38' S., longitude
id70 40' Eaft. Having made two attempts to weather the Me
of Pines before fun-fet, with no better fuccefs than before,,
this determined me to ftretch off till midnight. This dav-at
noon the thermometer was at 68°4> which is lower than it.
had been fince the 37th of February.
Having tacked at midnight, aflifted by the currents, and
afrefh gale at E. S. E., and S. É., next morning at day- w£dnef. zs.
break, we found ourfelves feveral leagues to. windward of
the Me of Pines, and bore away large, round the S. E. and
South fides. The coaft from the S. E., round by the South to
the Weft, was ftrewed with fand banks, breakers, and fmall
low ifles,-moft of which were coveredwith the fame lofty trees
that ornamented the borders of the greater one. We continued
to range the outfide of thefe fmall ifles and breakers,
at three-fourths o*f a league diftance, and as we palled one,
raifed another; fo that they feemed to form a chain extending
to the ifles which lie off the Foreland. At noon we obferved
in latitude 220 44' 36" South, the Ifle of Pines extend-
.>