'September Having been at flea a month, when we expected only a cruize of
u—v—-j :two or three days, thou mayeft imagine we were greatly elated with
•the profpedt of fpeedily coming to anchor, and beginning to traffic;
but all our expectations on this head foon vahilhed, for 'on Itand-
ing in for the fhore till four o clock, and at lels than three miles
diftance, we could not fee any appearance of the found mentioned
by Captain Cook. The coaft, indeed, formed a kind of bay, but
afforded no place, in this lituation, where a vcifcl could anchor,
with any degree of fafety. We founded with a line of n o fathom,
but found no bottom, neither was the colour of the-water in the leaft
•changed; fo that there is reafon to expect deep water quite clofe to
the lliore. ......... . _ : -
Being difappointed in our expectations of falling in with Crofs
Sound, it was judged a needlefs wafte of time to look for it in any
other lituation, elpecially as Captain Cook never came to anchor
there, but only faw it at a conliderable diftance 5 and we knew by
experience; how deceitful the appearances of land are on this coaft,
occafioned by a conftant haze, which perpetually changes its pofi-
tion, and renders it next.to impoffible to afcertain land at a dif-
ftance, with any degree of certainty.
The Bay o f IJlands was the next eligible harbour for us to make;
this lay about thirty miles to the Southward and Eaftward. A
favourable breeze fpringing up towards the evening, We ftood under
an e^fy fail during the night, with every profpeft of making this
harbour foon; but in the morning of the loth, a very heavy gale
o f wind came on from the Southward, which continued till evening,
when we had a fiat calm for a few hours.
At
At two o’clock in the morning of the n th , the gale came on 1786.
heavier than before, with much rain, and continued without inter- SePtembcl;
million till the 13th, at noon, when the weather grew moderate,
and tolerably clear. During the gale, we had wore oecafionally,
to prevent our getting on a lee-lhore, and when it fubfided, we
found ourfelves more than ten leagues from Cape Edgecombe;
(the neareft point of land to the Bay of Iflands) our obfervation at
noon giving 56 deg. 50 min. North latitude. However, it was-
determined to make this harbour i f poffible, our fails and rigging,
being pretty much damaged during the llorm.
Accordingly, we fleered Eaft North Eaft, with a moderate breeze:
from the Southward; and at fix o’clock in the morning of the
14th, we faw land, bearing from Eaft by North to North Weft, at
fourteen miles diftance. At noon, Cape Edgecombe bore South
60 deg. Eaft, at ten miles diftance. Our obfervation gave 57 deg;
6 min. North latitude. We kept fleering to the Weftward, in,
expectation of finding the Bay of Iflands till five in the afternoon,
but could not fall in with any fuch place to the Weftward of the
Cape. That part of the coaft which we examined forms a kind of
fhallow bay, but affords not the leaft Ihelter for any veffel to lay’ at
anchor, neither could we perceive the leaft fign'of inhabitants.
We had indeed heard, that the Spaniards anchored very near this
place, in 1775, but this account we were afraid was not abfolutely
to be depended, on. At fix o’clock we hauled, our wind-to the
Southward, intending to, examine the South Eaft fide of the
Cape; but at midnight a very heavy gale of wind ip rung-up from
the South Eaft, which continued during the whole of the 15th*
with heavy, and continued rain ;. this made us glad to keep off the.
land as. much as poffible, fo .that in. the: forenoon; of the 1:6th, we
were more than twenty leagues to the Southward of Cape Edge-*
comber