September. 'C°ml,e- The "™d Srew more moderate, but variable, and fre-
^— , tquently fqually, with rain. The weather was thick, and fo hazy,
.that we could not fee a mile a-head. The feafon flipping away
-very faft, all hopes of making the Bay of Iflands were given up,
and it was determined to fleer for King George's Sound, keeping
in, however, with the coaft, that no opportunity of accidentally
meeting with a harbour might be loft.
The weather on the 17th grew moderate, and a fine Wefterly
breeze came on early in the morning : our latitude at noon was
55 deg- 15 mi«- North; and our longitude 136 deg. 14 min.
Weft. We ftill had a fine North Wefterly breeze, and at one
o’clock on the 18th, being then fleering due Eaft, we faw land
right a-head, on which we flood direftly for it. Our latitude
at noon was 53 deg. 46 min. North, and our longitude 134
deg. 22 min. Weft. At fix o’clock we were well in with the
land; but finding no harbour, nor the leaft fign of any inhabitants,
we bore up, and flood to the Southward. The land we faw
was high, and bore North 65 deg. Eaft, at four miles diftance.
The evening was fine, clear, and ferene. We faw a fpecies of bird
quite different from any we had hitherto feen : his make was long
and flender, yet his flight was very heavy. The tips of his wings
and tail were white, and his wings were finely variegated. He was
nearly the fize of a fmall gull. We likewife faw wild-geefe of
various Ipecies, in great numbers.
The frelh Northerly breeze continued during the 19th; the land
m fight at fix in the morning bore from North Weft to North
E a ft; diftance off fhore about nine leagues. Our obfervation at
noon gave 51 deg. 56 min. North; and our longitude 133 deg.
The weather during the 20th and 21ft was moderate, and we l7^6.
kept Branding to the Eaftward ; the coaft in fight at eight or nine _ Tj
leagues diftance. On the 21ft, at noon, being in 50 deg. 40 min.
North latitude, we faw an ifland, bearing North 53 deg. Eaft. In
the afternoon we had a large fhark along-fide. I mention this as
it is a filh rarely feen in fuch Northerly latitudes. At fix o’clock
the Ifland, or rather Blands we had feen at noon, bore from North
22 deg. Eaft to North 43 deg. Eaft, at three leagues diftance.
During the 2 2d we flood to the Eaftward, for King George’s
Sound, with a frelh breeze from the North Weft. At one
o’clock Woody Point bore North Weft by Weft, at two miles
diftance. At fome diftance to the Weftward of the Point is
a rock, which obtained the name o f Split-Rock, and appears
joined by a low reef to the coaft. The Eaftermoft point of land
bore North North Eaft, and from that to Woody Point, the coaft
forms a kind of bay, covered with pines, fome of which have a
very beautiful appearance, the land next the fea being pretty low,
and tolerably level. The day being thick and hazy, we were not
able to get any obfervation to determine our latitude, and it being
impoflible for us to make the found by day-light, Captain Dixon
judged it moft prudent to ftand off the fhore during the night, as
it abounds with rocks and breakers. Captain Portlock, however,
hoifted out his boat, and fent his Third Mate round the Eaftermoft
point of land, to look for an anchoring birth, but he not fucceed-
ing, we hauled to the South Weft, and flood off fhore till the
morning of the 23d. At fun-fet, the neareft point of land was
about fix miles diftant. We founded in forty-five fathom water,
over a hard rocky bottom.
This harbour being our dernier refourCe for this feafon, thou
mayeft imagine we are extremely anxious to make i t : what fuccefs