>o 



150 cook's voyage to dec. 



mark within, from a single stone or rock, of a vast 

 size, which lies on the top of a hill on the south side, 

 near its bottom ; and opposite this, on the north side, 

 there is another hill, much like it, but smaller. 

 There is a small beach at its bottom, where we com- 

 monly landed; and, behind it, some gently rising 

 ground, on the top of which is a large pool of fresh 

 water. The land on both sides of the inlet is high, 

 and it runs in west, and W. N. W., about two miles. 

 Its breadth is one mile and a quarter, for more than 

 half its length ; above which, it is only half a mile. 

 The depth of water, which is forty-five fathoms at the 

 entrance, varies, as we proceed farther in, from thirty 

 to five and four fathoms, as marked upon the plan. 

 The shores are steep ; and the bottom is every where 

 a fine dark sand, except in some places close to the 

 shore, where there are beds of sea-weed, which always 

 grows on rocky ground. The head of the harbour 

 lies open only to two points of the compass ; and 

 even these are covered by islands in the offing, so 

 that no sea can fall in to hurt a ship. The appear- 

 ances on shore confirmed this ; for we found grass 

 growing close to high-water mark, which is a sure 

 sign of a pacific harbour.* It is high water here, at 



" Cap Francois, avoit deux baies ; elles etoient separees par une 

 ** pointe tres-reconnoissable par sa forme, qui representoit une porte 

 " cochere, au travers de laquelle Von voyoit lejour" Voyages du 

 M. de Pages, vol. ii. p. 67. Every one knows how exactly the 

 form of a porte coch'ere, or arched gateway, corresponds with that 

 of the arch of a bridge. It is very satisfactory to find the two 

 navigators, neither of whom knew any thing of the other's descrip- 

 tion, adopting the same idea ; which both proves that they had the 

 same uncommon object before their eyes, and that they made an 

 accurate report. 



* In the last note, we saw how remarkably Monsieur de Pages 

 and Captain Cook agree about the appearance of the south point 

 of the harbour ; I shall here subjoin another quotation from the 

 former, containing his account of the harbour itself, in which the 

 reader may trace the same distinguishing features observed by 

 Captain Cook in the foregoing paragraph. 



" Le 6, Ton mit a terre dans la premiere baie a. Test du Cap 

 "Francois, et Ton prit possession de ces contrees. Ce mouillage 



