A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

hoisted in the boats, and made sail to S.E. At noon we observed in 19° 35' S., which was considerablymore to the south than we expected, and shewed that a current or tide had been in our favour all night, andaccounted for our getting so unexpectedly clear of the shoals. At two o'clock p.m. we had again a calmwhich lasted till nine, when it was succeeded by a light air from E.N.E. and E., with which we advancedbut slowly.On the 17th at noon, we observed in latitude 19° 54', when the isle of Balabea bore S. 68° W., ten and ahalf leagues distant. We continued to ply, with variable light winds, between N.E. and S.E., withoutmeeting with any thing remarkable till the 20th at noon, when Cape Colnett bore N. 78° W., distant sixleagues. From this cape the land extended round by the south to E.S.E. till it was lost in the horizon, andthe country appeared with many hills and vallies. Latitude observed 20° 41', longitude made fromObservatory Isle 1° 8' E. We stood in shore with a light breeze at east till sun-set, when we were betweentwo and three leagues off. The coast extended from S. 42° 1/2 E. to N. 59° W. Two small islets lay withoutthis last direction, distant from us four or five miles; some others lay between us and the shore, and to theeast, where they seemed to be connected by reefs, in which appeared some openings from space to space.The country was mountainous, and had much the same aspect as about Balade. On one of the westernsmall isles was an elevation like a tower; and over a low neck of land within the isle were seen many otherelevations, resembling the masts of a fleet of ships.Next day at sun-rise, after having stood off all night with a light breeze at S.E., we found ourselves aboutsix leagues from the coast; and in this situation we were kept by a calm till ten in the evening, when we gota faint land-breeze at S.W., with which we steered S.E. all night.,On the 22d at sun-rise the land was clouded, but it was not long before the clouds went off, and we found,by our land-marks, that we had made a good advance. At ten o'clock, the land-breeze being succeeded by asea-breeze at E. by S., this enabled us to stand in for the land, which at noon extended from N. 78° W. to S.31° 1/2 E., round by the S. In this last direction the coast seemed to trend more to the south in a loftypromontory, which, on account of the day, received the name of Cape Coronation. Latitude 22° 2',longitude 167° 7' 1/2 E. Some breakers lay between us and the shore, and probably they were connectedwith those we had seen before.During the night, we had advanced about two leagues to the S.E.; and at day-break on the 23d an elevatedpoint appeared in sight beyond Cape Coronation, bearing S. 23° E. It proved to be the south-east extremityof the coast, and obtained the name of Queen Charlotte's Foreland. Latitude 22° 16' S., longitude 167° 14'E. About noon, having got a breeze from the N.E., we stood to S.S.E., and as we drew towards CapeCoronation, saw in a valley to the south of it, a vast number of those elevated objects before- mentioned;and some low land under the foreland was wholly covered with them. We could not agree in our opinionsof what they were. I supposed them to be a singular sort of trees, being too numerous to resemble any thingelse; and a great deal of smoke kept rising all the day from amongst those near the cape. Our philosopherswere of opinion that this was the smoke of some internal and perpetual fire. My representing to them thatthere was no smoke here in the morning would have been of no avail, had not this eternal fire gone outbefore night, and no more smoke been seen after. They were still more positive that the elevations werepillars of basaltes, like those which compose the Giant's Causeway in Ireland. At sun-set, the wind veeringround to the south, we tacked and stood off, it not being safe to approach the shore in the dark. At daybreakwe stood in again, with a faint land-breeze between E.S.E. and S.S.E. At noon observed, in latitude21° 59' 30", Cape Coronation being west southerly, distant seven leagues, and the foreland S. 38° W. Aswe advanced S.S.W. the coast beyond the foreland began to appear in sight; and at sun-set we discovered a