might render moil eligible;, keeping in as high a latitude, and profecuting his
difcoveries as near to the foiith pole. as poflible.. I f Cape Circuineiiion -ihould
prove to be part o f an illand only, or if he ihould not be able to find the
faid cape, he was, in the firil cafe, to make, the neceflary furvey of the illand,
and then Hand on to the fouthward fo long as he judged there was a likelihood
of falling in with the continent; v^hich he was alfo to do in the latter cafe;
and then proceed to the eaftward in further fearch of the faid continent, as
well as to make difcoveries of fuch illands as might be fituated in that"unex-
plored part of the fouthern hemifphere; until having navigated the globe,
as near the pole as poflible, he was to proceed to the Cape of Good Hope,
and from thence to Spithead. In the. profecution of thefe difcoveries, in all
unforefeen cafes he was authorifed to proceed according to his own difcretion;
and ihould the Refolution be loft or difabled, he was to profecute the voyage
on board the Adventure.
On the 29th of the fame month he anchored in F.unchiale road, in the
illand of Madeira; from whence, after taking on board a fupply of water,
wine, and other neceflaries, he failed on the firil of Auguft, and having
touched at Port Praya, in the illand of St. Jago, both ihips anchored on the
30th of Odtober in Table Bay at the Cape of Good. Hope.
Captain Cook had been told before he failed, by fome gentlemen who were
•well acquainted with the navigation between England and the Cape of Good
Hope, that he had begun his voyage at an improper feafon of. the year, and
that he would meet with much calm weather near and under the line'. On the
contrary, he hardly met with any calms. This, however, might probably be
the cafe fome years, but he found by experience that it was not a general
occurrence.
The night before they entered the bay, between eight and nine o’clock, the
whole fea within the compafs of their fight became at once as it were illuminated,
or, what the feamen call, all. on fire. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander had
before fatisfied Captain Cook, that this phenomenon was occafioned by fea
infeits. Mr. Forlter, however, feemed not to favour this opinion. The
Captain,'therefore, ordered fome buckets of water to be drawn up from
along fide- the fhip, which was found full of an innumerable quantity of ftnall
globular infeits, about the fize of a pin’s head, and quite tranfparent.
Omitting thofe incidents which happened during his itay at the cape, they
being fuch only as are common to other navigators,' we fhall proceed with
Captain Cook in his fearch after the fouthern continent.
Having finiflied his bufinefs, and taken leave of the governor, and fome other p. 19.
of the chief officers, who, with very obliging readinefs, had given him all
the afliflance he could defire; on the 22d of November he repaired on board
and making fail, direited his courfe, agreeable to his inftruitions, in fearch of
Cape Circumcifion.
Nothing material happened till the 29th, when the wind increafed to a p. 29.
ftorm, which continued, with fome few intervals of moderate weather till
the 6th of December; when they found themfelves in latitude 48’ 41 ’ fouth
and longitude 18° 24' eaft: this gale, which was attended with rain and hail
blew at times with fuch violence, that they could carry no fail; by which
means they were driven much to'the eaftward of their intended courfe and
no hopes were left of reaching the cape they fought for. The fudden tran-
fition from warm dry weather to extreme cold and wet, (for, by this time the
"thermometer, which ufually flood at the cape at 67 and upwards, had now fallen"
to 38,) made every man in the fhips feel its effeits.
In the morning of the 10th they faw an illand of ice to the weftward, being 22
thenjin latitude So" 40’ fouth, and 2" o’ eaft of the Cape of Good Hope’ ’ Soon ^
after the wind moderated, and the weather coming hazy, with fnow and fleet
they did not perceive another illand of ice, which they were fleering diredllv
for, till they were within a mile o f it. This icy illand was flat at top its
fides rofe in a perpendicular direilion, againft which the fea broke exceedingly
high, and it appeared to be about feet in height, fifty : and half a mile in
F f j
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