'778- At eight in the evening, we flood in fo r the land, till we
t..—y-L_i were within a league o f the above-mentioned fmall iflands.
T h e Wefternmoft part o f the continent now in fight, being a
low point facin g T rin ity Ifland, and which we called CapeTrini-
ty, n ow hore Weft North Weft. Inthis fituation, having tacked
in fifty -fou r fathoms water, over a bottom o f black fand,
w e flood over for the ifland, intending to w ork up between
it and the main. T he land to the Weft ward o£ Two-headed
Point, is not fo mountainous as it is to the North Eaft o f it,
nor does fo much fnow lie upon it. There are, however,
a good many hills confiderably e le va ted ; but they are disjoined
by large trails o f flat land that appeared to be perfe
c tly deftitute o f wood, and very barren.
As w e were Handing over toward the ifland, we met two
men in a fmall canoe, paddling from it to the main. Far
from approaching us, they feemed rather to avoid it. The
wind now began to incline to-the South ; and we had rea-
fon to expect, that it would foon be at South Eaft. Experience
having taught us. that' a South Eafterly wind was
here generally, i f not always, accompanied by a thick fog,
I was afraid to venture through between the ifland and the
continent, left the pafiage fhould not be accompliihed before
night, or before the thick weather came o n ; when we fhould
be obliged to anchor, and, by that means, lofe the advantage
o f a fair wind. Thefe reafons induced me to ftretch
out to f e a ; and we palled two or three rocky iflots that He
near the Eaft end- o f T rin ity Ifland. At four in the afternoon,
ha vin g weathered the ifland, we tacked, and fleered
Weft, Southerly, with a freih gale at South South E a ft;
which, before midnight, veered to the South Eaft ; and was,
as ufual, attended w ith mifty, d r izz ling , rainy weather.
By
By the courfe w e fleered all n ight, I was in hopes o f fa ll- 1778.
in g in with the continent in the morning. And, doubtlefs, ■ June' _r
;we fhould have feen it, had the weather been, in the leaf!,' Mo“da5, '5-
clear ; but the fo g prevented. Seeing no land at noon, and
. the ga le increafing, with a thick fo g and rain, I fleered Weft
•North Weft, under fuch fail as we could eafily haul thé
wind w ith ; being fu lly fenfible o f the danger o f running
before a ftrong gale in a thick fo g, in the vicinity o f an u n kn
own coaft. It was, however, neceflary to run fome rifk
when the wind favoured u s ; for clear weather, we had
found, was gen era lly accompanied with winds from the
Weft.
Between two and three in the afternoon, land was feen
through the fo g, bearing North Weft, not more than three
ot four miles diftant. Upon this, we immediately hauled
u p South, clofe to the wind. Soon after, the two courfes
were fplir, fo that we had others to bring to the yards ;
and feveral others o f our fails received confiderablë damage.
At nine', the gale abated ; the weather cleared u p ;
and we got fight o f the coaft again, extending from Weft by
South to North Weft, about four or five leagues diftant. On
founding, we found a hundred fathoms water, over a muddy
bottom. Soon after, the fo g returned, and we faw no more
o f the land all night.
At four next morning, the fo g being now difperfed, we T uefday is.
found ourfelves in a manner furrounded by land; the continent,
or what was fuppofed to be the contin'ent, extending
from Weft South Weft to North Eaft by North ; and fome
elevated land bearing South Eaft h a lf South ; by eftimadon
eight or nine leagues diftant. T he North Eaft extreme o f
the main was the fame point o f land that we had fallen in
V o l . I I . 3 G w j t h