1776- THE PAdFIC OCEAN. 163 



glasses, resembled the rest of the low land we had 

 before met with ; that is, it appeared to be partly 

 naked, and partly covered with a green turf ; a de- 

 scription of which shall be given in its proper place. 

 The shore is composed of sandy beaches, on which 

 were many penguins and other oceanic birds ; and 

 an immense number of shags kept perpetually flying 

 about the ships as we sailed along. 



Being desirous of getting the length of Cape 

 George, to be assured whether or no it was the most 

 southerly point of the whole land, I continued to 

 stretch to the south, under all the sail we could carry, 

 till half an hour past seven o'clock; when, seeing no 

 likelihood of accomplishing my design, as the wind 

 had, by this time, shifted to W. S. W., the very di- 

 rection in which we wanted to go, I took the ad- 

 vantage of the shifting of the wind, and stood away 

 from the coast. 



At this time Cape George bore south 53 W. 

 distant about seven leagues. A small island that lies 

 off* the pitch of the Cape, was the only land we could 

 see to the south of it; and we were farther confirmed 

 that there was no more in that quarter, by a south- 

 west swell which we met as soon as we brought the 

 Cape to bear in this direction. 



But we have still a stronger proof that no part of 

 this land can extend much, if at all, to the southward 

 of Cape George ; and that is, Captain Furneaux's 

 tract in February 1773, after his separation from me 

 during my late voyage. His log-book is now lying 

 before me ; and I find from it, that he crossed the 

 meridian of this land only about seventeen leagues 

 to the southward of Cape George ; a distance at 

 which it may very well be seen in clear weather. 

 This seems to have been the case w r hen Captain Fur- 

 neaux passed it. For his log-book makes no men- 

 tion of fogs or hazy weather ; on the contrary, it ex- 

 pressly tells us, that, when in this situation, they had 

 it in their power to make observations, both for lati- 



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