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

low island lying S.S.E, about seven miles from the foreland. It was one of those which are generallysurrounded with shoals and breakers. At the same time a round hill was seen bearing S. 24° E, twelveleagues distant. During night, having had variable light winds, we advanced but little either way.On the 25th, about ten o'clock a.m., having got a fair breeze at E.S.E., we stood to the S.S.W., in hopes ofgetting round the foreland; but, as we drew near, we perceived more low isles, beyond the one alreadymentioned, which at last appeared to be connected by breakers, extending towards the foreland, andseeming to join the shore. We stood on till half past three o'clock, when we saw, from the deck, rocks, justpeeping above the surface of the sea, on the shoal above-mentioned. It was now time to alter the course, asthe day was too far spent to look for a passage near the shore, and we could find no bottom to anchor induring the night. We therefore stood to the south to look for a passage without the small isles. We had afine breeze at E.S.E., but it lasted no longer than five o'clock, when it fell to a dead calm. Having sounded,a line of 170 fathoms did not reach the bottom, though we were but a little way from the shoals, which,instead of following the coast to S.W., took a S.E. direction towards the hill we had seen the precedingevening, and seemed to point out to us that it was necessary to go round that land. At this time the mostadvanced point on the main bore S. 68° W., distant nine or ten leagues. About seven o'clock we got a lightbreeze at north, which enabled us to steer out E.S.E., and to spend the night with less anxiety. On some ofthe low isles were many of those elevations already mentioned. Every one was now satisfied they weretrees, except our philosophers, who still maintained that they were basaltes.[1][1] Mr G.F. very plainly avows his conviction that they were trees, which on a prodigious tall stemhad short and slender branches, not discernible at a distance. Captain Cook, it is very evident, usesthe language of banter, not quite consistent with either the dignity of his own character, or therespect due to even the mistaken opinion of men of science.--E.About day-break on the 26th, the wind having shifted to S.S.W., we stretched to S.E. for the hill beforementioned. It belonged to an island which at noon extended from S. 16° E. to S. 7° W., distant six leagues.Latitude observed 22° 16' S. In the p.m. the wind freshened, and veering to S.S.E., we stretched to the east,till two a.m., on the 27th, when we tacked and stood to S.W., with hopes of weathering the island; but wefell about two miles short of our expectations, and had to tack about a mile from the east side of the island,the extremes bearing from N.W. by N. to S.W., the hill W., and some low isles, lying off the S.E. point, S.by W. These seemed to be connected with the large island by breakers. We sounded when in stays, but hadno ground with a line of eighty fathoms. The skirts of this island were covered with the elevations morethan once mentioned. They had much the appearance of tall pines, which occasioned my giving that nameto the island. The round hill, which is on the S.W. side, is of such a height as to be seen fourteen or sixteenleagues. The island is about a mile in circuit, and situated in latitude 22° 38' S., longitude 167° 40' E.Having made two attempts to weather the Isle of Pines before sun-set, with no better success, than before,this determined me to stretch off till midnight. This day at noon the thermometer was at 68° 3/4 which islower than it had been since the 27th of February.Having tacked at midnight, assisted by the currents and a fresh gale at E. S.E. and S.E., next morning atday-break we found ourselves several leagues to windward of the Isle of Pines, and bore away large, roundthe S.E. and S. sides. The coast from the S.E., round by the S. to the W., was strewed with sand-banks,breakers, and small low isles, most of which were covered with the same lofty trees that ornamented theborders of the greater one. We continued to range the outside of these small isles and breakers, at threefourthsof a league distance, and as we passed one, raised another, so that they seemed to form a chainextending to the isles which lie off the foreland. At noon we observed, in latitude 22° 44' 36" S. the Isle ofPines extending from N by E 1/2 E. to E. by N.; and Cape Coronation N. 32° 30' W distant seventeen