jdy’ t^ie coaft takes a Northerly direction from Cape Neweni—
i ham, that Cape fixes the Northern limit o f the great, bay
and gu lph , ly in g before the river Briftol, which, in honour
o f the admiral Earl o f Briftol, was named Brijlol Bay. Cape
Ooneemak is the South limit o f this bay ; and is diftant e ighty-
two leagues from Cape Newenham, in the direction o f South
South Weft.
About e ight in the evening, a ligh t breeze fpringing up;
w h ich fixed at South South Eaft, w e fleered North Weft,
and North North Weft, round Cape Newenham, which, at
Friday 17. noon next day, bore South by Eaft, diftant four leagues. A t
this time the moft advanced land to the Northward bore
North, 30° Eaft; our depth o f w ater was feventeen fathoms ;
and the neareft Ihore 34 leagues diftant. We had but little
wind all the a fte rn o on ; fo that, at ten at n ight, w e had
only made three leagues upon a North courfe.
Saturday 18. We fleered North by Weft till e ight the next morning,
when, our depth o f water decreafing fuddenly to five and
feven fathoms, we brought to, till a boat from each ihip
was fent ahead to found, and then fleered North Eaft after
th em ; and at noon we had deepened the water to feventeen
fathoms. At this time, Cape Newenham bore South, 90
Eaft, diftant eleven or twelve le a g u e s ; the North Eaft extreme
o f the land in fight North, 66° Eaft; and the neareft
ihore about fou r or five leagues diftant. Our latitude, by
obfervation, was 59° 16'.
Between this latitude and Cape Newenham-, the coaft is
compofed o f hills, and low land, and appeared to form
feveral bays. A little before one o ’clock, the boats ahead
made the fignal for meeting with ihoal water. It feems
they had only two fa th om s ; and, at the fame time, the
4 ibigs>
ihips were in fix fathoms. By haulin g a little more to >778.
the Northward, we continued in much the fame depth till ■
between five and fix o’clock, when the boats meeting with
lefs and lefs water, I made the fignal to the Difcovery, fhe
b e in g then ahead, to anchor, which we did foon after! In
b rin g in g our ihip up, the cable parted at the clinch, w hich
obliged us to come to with the other anchor. We rode in
fix fathoms water, a fandy bottom, and about four or five
leagues from the m a in -lan d ; Cape Newenham bearing
South, feventeen leagues diftant. T he fartheft hills we
could fee to the North, bore North Eaft b y E a ft; but there
was low land ftretching out from the h ig h land, as fa r as
North b y Eaft. Without this, was a Ihoal o f fand and ftones,
that was dry at h a lf ebb.
I had fent the two Matters, each in a boat, to found between
this ihoal and the coaft. On their return, they re ported,
that there was a channel, in which they found fix
and feven fathoms w a te r ; but that it was narrow and intricate.
At low water, w e made an attempt to ge t a hawfer
round the loft an ch or; but did not fucceed then. However
be in g determined not to leave it behind me, as long as
there was a probability o f recovering it, I perfevered in m y
endeavours; and at laft fucceeded in the evening o f the 20th. Monday 20.
While we were thus employed, I ordered Captain Clerke
to fend his Mailer in a boat to look for a paifage in the
South Weft quarter. He did fo * but no channel was to be
found in that direction ; nor did. there appear to be any way
to ge t clear o f thefe ihoals, but to return by the track which
had brought us in. For, although by fo llow in g the channel
we were in, we might probably have go t farther down the
coaft ; and though poffibly this channel might have led us
3 K 2 at