Tfre day gave us a moft agreeable profpedl of the laird,
which was interfperfed with weeds and lawns ; the, interior
part mountainous, but th e fliore low. Towards noon, the
coaft became higher, with fome remarkable head-lands.
We were greatly delighted<with the igeneral look. of. the
country, which exhibited many cultivatedfp.qt& .and beautiful
fituations ; but we could only; fee a few fmall hufs,
whence I concluded that no European redded in this, part
of the ifland. Much fea ran on .the fhore, which,, made
landing impracticable, d .At noon, we were abreaft p f a
high head-land; the extremes.of the land bqre ,SW|A\^,
and N N'E-1 E;‘ our diftancc off fhore being dhree miles;
latitude,. by obfervation, 90 S; and my ^longitude,; by
dead reckoning-from the north part Of New Holland, 15®
& W.
With the ufual allowance of bread and urater for. dinnej,
I divided the bird we had caught the nighty before,-and
to theTurgeon.and Lieboguel gave a little Wine. jtT
The wind blew frefti at E, and E S;Ey-With* yfry h ^ y
weather.; During the afternoon, wp continued pUj^cpurfe
along a low fhore, covered with innumerable palm-trees,
called the.Fan;Palm from.;the leaf fpreadi^g; like a,fan
here we faw no figns of cultivation, nor had: the country
fo fine an appearance as to the eaftward» l This; ;hgs$jever»
was only a fmall trait, for by fun-fet itimproygd agafo, and
I faw -foveral gregt fmokes where the inhabitants ,_were
clearing and cultivating their grounds. We had now rau
25 miles to the W S W fine© noon,, and were W, f i ^ rnffes
from a low point, which, in the afternoon, I imagined had
“been the fouthernmoft land; and here the coaft formed a
deep bend, with low land in the bight that appeared like
iflands.
iflands. The weft fliore Was; h ig h ; but from this part of • w**
the coaft to the high cape which we were abreaft of
at- noon,:the .fliore is- -low,; and I Ibeheye fhoah' I particularly
remark this fituation, becanfe here the very high ridge
of. mountains^ that run frp p th e eaff'crtd of the ifland,
terminate, and the: appearance, of the country changes for
fhe -worfjby. |
That we might -not run paft any fettlement in the
night, I determined to. preferve my ftation till the morning,,
and therefore brought'to under -a qfofe-reefed forefail.,
We were; here -ipofouabiwater, pur diftance |from
the .fhorp,! being -hpifi^a, .league, /thp jwefteynmoft , land in
fight bearingj W ; S- • W *1 *W. [[Served -bread and water for
fupper, and the. bo at-lying to very welly all but the officer
of-t^e WEftch: endeavoured tot get a-little fieep. .
c^*UE<lay the.rjgth., At tw.O in tbe morning,fwe wore, and Saturday 13.
fl$pd. in ffipre till 'daylight, when I [found we had .drifted, .
dining'the, night, about threew leagues-'to the W S W, the
fcutherhmofb' land in fight hearing W. On examining,
the coaft,: and mot ffieing ‘any *£gn .of a fettlernent, we
bore aw^y to?-the.Weftward, having a ftrong -gale;,, againft
; Upw^t^iuf current, which d^Eafioned' ixmGh lea* < The Ihore
■■^.ashigh :apd «'covered with wood ; but we did .not run
far, before’low land again formed the coaft, the points of
which opening 'at Weft, I-once* more fancied we were on
the fputh part of -the ifland; but at ten o’clock we found
thpipoaft/again in clining towards the fouth,.part o f it bearing'W
SWT W.. At the fame time, high land appeared in
thifg W ^ b u t tbp weather was fo hazy, that it was doubtful
whether, the-two lands were feparated, the opening only extending
one point of the compafs.' For this reafon I flood
towards