1778. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 239 



veered more to the west, and the latter grew worse, 

 which made it necessary to tack and stand off* till 

 four the next morning, when I ventured to stand in 

 again. 



At four in the afternoon we saw the land, which, at 

 six, extended from north-east half east, to south-east 

 by south, about eight leagues distant. In this situ- 

 ation we tacked and sounded ; but a line of a hun- 

 dred and sixty fathoms did not reach the ground. I 

 stood off till midnight, then stood in again ; and at 

 half past six, we were within three leagues of the 

 land, which extended from north by east, half east, 

 to south, half east ; each extreme about seven leagues 

 distant. Seeing no signs of a harbour, and the wea- 

 ther being still unsettled, I tacked and stretched off 

 south-west, having then fifty-five fathoms water over 

 a muddy bottom. 



That part of the land, which we were so near when 

 we tacked, is of a moderate height, though, in some 

 places, it rises higher within. It was diversified with 

 a great many rising grounds and small hills; many 

 of which were entirely covered with tall straight 

 trees ; and others, which were lower, and grew in 

 spots like coppices ; but the interspaces and sides of 

 many of the rising grounds, were clear. The whole, 

 though it might make an agreeable summer prospect, 

 had now an uncomfortable appearance, as the bare 

 grounds toward the coast were all covered with snow, 

 which seemed to be of a considerable depth between 

 the little hills and rising grounds ; and, in several 

 places toward the sea, might easily have been mis- 

 taken, at a distance, for white cliffs. The snow on 

 the rising grounds was thinner spread ; and farther 

 inland, there was no appearance of any ; from whence 

 we might, perhaps, conclude that what we saw toward 

 the sea had fallen during the night, which was colder 

 than any we had experienced since our arrival on the 

 coast ; and we had sometimes a kind of sleet. The 

 coast seemed every where almost straight, without 



