( H g
Although we had .not a' breath of wind we found it impossible
to land on this side, the 5 shore being very, steep, . and a heavy
surf running- on it. Therefore as the ship was not in sights and
as it was two P. M. I judged it prudent to get back. as^soon: as-
possible, which we effected by 'four o'clock. |f We had mew* a
light breeze from the E. and the. weather intolerably" oTos^ and
sultry, the mercury standing at 72° and 3'. i Got 'the boats in;
and .made sail to the southward'. At -seven, the wind at>E.
freshened into a strong gale; and at eight it blew a thunderstorm
with much heavy forked lightning; -but-it,>b'eing#a 'wea-
ther shore, we kept- close . at the wind, in Order to get- to ^the"
S0|uthward of the islands hying off this Cape; whemcm a*suddeh
it shifted due W. very dark, with heavy rain and lightning; which
continued all night, the wind abating about twelve b’c lo c k rlh
the morning it was calm with hot' sultry weather;' A t neon' I
had a good observation sin latitude 39° 3 0 'Si ; ThedSouth.: part
of the main, or South Cape /bearing N. W. ■ by, Ny distant
twenty, miles, and the longitude from a goodduharf observation
taken on the; 8th instant.1 A11'.round the;.Western
side, and even thus far South of the Cape, there- are-soupdings
of fifty fathoms, forty-five and forty "; white sancTand shell's. I
called that space between Cape Liptrap and the South?Ca|»hy
King George’s Sound; and I have no doubt but there: is good-
anchorage in the bite to the northward of the South Cape, on
the westward side of which Cape Liptrap inakesHhe northern
head. The land here is high, arid the mountains covered with
wood. - Cape Liptrap is low and flat, as is the land inthis Bité,'
where -I suppose there is shelter.'. - There is' an island bearing
from the western . part of the South Cape; South, a little"
easterly, about twelve-miles from-the shore.1'I t is round and'
inaccessible .on all sides. ;The abovementioned island I called
llodondo, from its resemblance, to that rock, well known to all
seqmen in the -West-Indaesl f Avȣ%of, breakers :td the south-
ward .and eastward-pf -that rock, on which; though' calm, the sea
breaks much, bearing’mow /rom usyJ^N.‘W. 5 W. distant‘tix
miles. Tot the/eagtwardsXhetofWe “five-* islands^ theiargest of
which from its resemblance to'X]ae < sfBhobnt afcfthfe Capebf
Good Hope,. .1. called .Sir Roger Curtis’s Island, who thten icoiii-
m^nded on thahK^ti0^ vIt iy highland ij^fej^|ssi?ble on th e ’K.W.
side,; andseovered with .small bushes on the-top. The'body10 6
this island bearing from ms E. S. E. distantfe^eh ok eight nilfl.es?-
Tftomther islands likeX^yrC©eks,/©]iily higher' andh^^e ‘perpen-r
diculan, fStanding. a.'considerable d^tanXhsfTomi eateh other,/the
largest, of which bore from us, S.E. XSi distant sixteen or soVeh-
teenfmilesapd-yhei other S,.E.,byJ& about ten1-mdlesif}T h e la tter
is nearly';shut .in with the SdE. •rend-tofr.Sir Rdger’? Curtis’s
Island. T h e fourthX&» a ‘rock, standing a considerable -height
out .qftdbe^iwater;' nearly? inm-. position*-between the. two-hayt'
1 cocks,; or rather sugar-loaf-like islands, 'vbehriil^’Si E'r? S. The
fifth.is;a .high perpendicular barren cliff, which ah W&fgWallh'dfet
,,abreast, formed like-two islands i, j ©toed/together -aX-lhe^bottoiWf
risingrto a sharp edge;ragged'at the top, and resembling-a large
tdwep,er;castle. This island-1; named thd*©evfl’# I t bdre
from us E. byf»M about ter*.orXyelvemilesX' Ahvisland- ih^with
the;,shore?was;obkef,ved, ifbdxerW.-GSLW. dls'tarLtiten miles;’'-1
called it Moncur’s Island, in.eomplimeht.to Capthid Mon'clmOf
the 'Royal ;:h iav y■ and another yas 'visible? bearing by E.
sixteen- or seventeen miles, Land, apparently an island,||®E the
southward and eastward we bah ju st see; from the m'bSt-HeUd.
I t may be necessary to obsejvbsjXb-at these .bearings w|&e Taken
iwasvthen, a- stark'palm*vthe vessiepwas'nearly
stationary. By "a good^gfoservation thetilatituditi Vast'3'9!^fft,'
longitude 147° 18' E. calcutathd.iSoin lun.ar;job|^ygtipn ty3o.
days-before; but I take.it to tcorrectly .;EI from my