upon a nearer approach, we found to be an iiland o f confi-
derable height, and about three leagues in circuit *. Soon
after, we faw another of the fame magnitude, one league
to the Eaftward -j- ; and between thefe two, in the direction
of South Eaft, fome fm aller ones if. In the direction of
South by Eaft ¿ Eaft, from the Eaft end of the firft iiland,
a third § high iiland was feen. At times, as the fog broke
away, we had the appearance of land over the fmall iflands ;
and I had thoughts of fleering for it, by running in between
them. But, on drawing nearer, I found this wo.uld be a
dangerous attempt, while the weather continued foggy.
For if there fhould be no pallage, or if we ftiould meet with
any fuddën danger, it would have been impoflible for us to
get off ; the wind being right a-ftern, and a prodigious fea
running, that broke on all the fhores in a frightful furf.
At the fame time, feeing another iiland in the North Eaft
direction, and not knowing but that there might be more,
I judged it prudent to haul off, and wait for clearer weather,
left we ihould get intangled amongft unknown lands in a
thick fog.
We did but juft weather the iüand laft mentioned. It is a
highround rock, which was named Bligh’s Cap. Perhaps
to the adjoining coafts of the greater land, as reprefented on the annexed Chart, bears
a ftriking refemblance to Kerguelen’s delineation of them ; whofe Chart, however,,
thé Public may be afllired, was unknown in England till after ours had been engraved.
* This is the iile to which Kerguelen gave the name o f Cray or Crouy. Beiides
delineating it upon his Chart, he has added a particular view of it, exadtly corre-
fponding with Captain Cook’s account of its being of confiderable height.
f Kerguelen called this Jjle Rolland, after the name of his own ihip. There is alfo-
a particular view of it on the French Chart.
% The obfervations of the French and Englifh navigators agree exa&ly, as to the-
pofition of thefe fmaller ifl.es.
§ The fituation of Kerguelen’s IJle de Clugny, as marked on his Chart, ihews it to
be the third high ijland feen by Captain Cook.
this
this is the fame that Monlieur de Kerguelen called the Iile ,776-
o f Rendezvous *; but I know nothing that can rendezvous " j
at it, but fowls of the air; for it is certainly inacceffible to
every other animal.
At eleven o’clock the weather began to clear up, and we
immediately tacked, and fleered infor the land. At noon, we
had a pretty good obfervation, which enabled us to determine
the latitude of Bligh’s Cap, which is the northernmoft
iiland, to be 48° 29' South, and its longitude 68s 40' Eaft +.
• We palled it at three o’clock, {landing to the South South
Eaft, with afrefh gale at Weft.
Soon after we faw the land, of which we had a faint view
in the morning; and at four o’clock it extended from South
Eaft Jj Eaft, to South Weft by South, diftant about four miles.
The left extreme, which I judged to be the Northern point
of this land called, in the French Chart of the Southern
* This iile, or rod, was the ilngle point about which Captain Cook had received
the Ieaft information at TeneriiFe ; and we may obferve how fagacious he was in tracing
it. What He could only -fpeak of as probable, a comparifon of his Chart .with
that lately publiihed by Kerguelen, proves, to be certain ; and if he had even read and
copied what his predeceflbr in the difcovery fays of it, he could fcarcely have varied his,
account of its ihape. Kerguelen’s words are, “ IJle di Reunion, qui .n’eft qu’ une
“ Roche, nous fervoit de Rendezvous, ou de point de ralliement; & reflemble a. un
“ coin de mire.”
t The French and Engliih agree very nearly (as might be expedted) in their accounts
of the latitude of this iiland ; but the obfervations by which they fix its longitude,
vary confiderably.
The Pilot at TeneriiFe made it only 64° 57 ' Eaft from Paris, which is about 67°
16' Eaft from London; or i° 24" more Wefterly than Captain Cook’s obfervations
fix it.
Monfieur de Pages fays'it is 66° 4 7' Eaft from Paris,' that is 6 ' Eaft from L on -'
don, or twenty-fix miles more Eafterly than it is-placed by Captain Cook.
Kerguelen himfelf only fays that it is about 68° of Eaft longitude, par 68° de longitude.