N o v em b e r . from whence, and from our being much more to the Eaft-
’— .— ward than we expefted, we concluded, that there had been
a ftrong current from the South Weft.
At two in the afternoon, we again made the land to the
Weftward, at the diftance o f about twelve leagues ; the
Southernmoft land in fight, which we fuppofed to be White
Point*, bore Weft South Weft ha lf Weft ; a hummock to the
Northward, which had the appearance o f being an iflanc},
bore North North Weft h a lf Weft, within which we faw
from the maft-head low land, which we took to be Sand-
down Pointf. We flood in toward the land, till h a lf paft
u m c ^ive> when we hauled our wind to the Southward. At this
time we faw a number o f Japaneie vcilcls, clofe in with the
land, feveral feemingly engaged in fiihing, and others ftand-
in g along ihore. We now difcovered to the Weftward a remarkably
high mountain, with a round top, riling far inland.
There is no h igh ground near it, thè coaft being o f a
moderate elevation, and, as far as we could ju d g e, from the
hazinefs o f the horizon, much broken by fmall inlets. But
to the Southward o f the hummock iiland before mentioned,
there appeared, at a great diftance, within the country, a ridge
o f hills, ftretching in a direction toward the mountain, and
probably joinin g with it. As this is the moft remarkable
hill on the coaft, we could have wiihed to have fettled its
fituation exaftly ; but having only had this fingle view, were
obliged, to be contented with fuch accuracy as our circum-
^ ftarices would allow. Its latitudé therefore w e conceive to
be 350 20', its longitude, eftimated by its diftance from the
fhips, at this time fifteen leagues, 140° 26'..
* Witte Hoeck, placed by Janfen in latitude 350 24'..
•j; San.duynege Hoeck) in latitude 350 55''. Janfen..
li A s
; M t lT i
As the Dutch charts make the coaft o f Tapan extend about '779- •* * JNovember.
ten leagues to the South Weft o f White Point, at eight we *— —— <
tacked, and flood o ff to the Eaftward, in order .¡to weather
the point. At midnight, we again tacked to the South
Weft, expecting to fa ll in with the coaft to the Southward,
but were furprized, in the morning at eight, to* fee the T“ef<lily *■
hummock, at the diftance only o f three leagues, bearin
g Weft North Weft. We began, at firft, to doubt the evidence
o f our fenfes, and afterward to fufp eit fome deception
from a fimilarity o f la n d ; but, at noon, we found our-
felves, by obfervation, to be a itu ally in latitude 35° 43', at a
time when our reckonings gave us 34” 48'. So that, during
the eight hours in which w e fuppofed we had made a.
courfe o f nine leagues to the South Weft, we had in
reality been carried eight leagues from the pofition we left,,
in a direftion diametrically oppofite; which made, on the
whole, in that ihort fpace o f time, a difference, in our
reckoning, o f feventeen leagues. From this error, we calculated,
that the current had fet to the N orth Eaft by North,
at the rate o f at leaft five miles an hour. Our longitude, at
this time, was 141° 16'.
T h e weather having now the fame threatening appearance
as on the 29th o f October, w hich was followed by fo
fudden and fevere a gale, and the wind continuing at South,
South Eaft, it was thought prudent to leave the Ihore, and
ftand off to the Eaftward, to prevent our being entangled
w ith the land. Nor were we wrong in our prognoftica-
tions ; for it foon afterward began, and continued till next
day, to blow a heavy gale, accompanied with h a zy and
rainy weather. In the morning o f the 3d, we found our-
felves, by our reckoning, upward o f fifty leagues from the
la n d ; which circumftance, together with the very extraordinary