J 77^ ROUND THE WORLD. 65 



poses his route to have been different, and that from 

 Easter Isle he steered N. W., taking a course after- 

 wards very little different from that of La Maire ; 

 but I think it is highly improbable that a man, who, 

 at his own request was sent to discover a southern 

 continent, should take a course in which La Maire 

 had already proved no continent could be found : it 

 must, however, be confessed, that Roggewein's track 

 cannot certainly be ascertained, because, in the ac- 

 counts that have been published of his voyage, nei- 

 ther longitudes nor latitudes are mentioned. As to 

 myself, I saw nothing that T thought a sign of land in 

 in my route, either to the northward, southward, or 

 westward, till a few days before I made the east coast 

 of New Zealand. I did indeed frequently see large 

 flocks of birds, but they were generally such as 

 are found at a very remote distance from any coast ; 

 and it is also true that I frequently saw pieces of 

 rock-weed, but I could not infer the vicinity of land 

 from these, because I have been informed, upon in- 

 dubitable authority, that a considerable quantity of 

 the beans called ox-eyes, which are known to grow no 

 where but in the West Indies, are every year thrown 

 up on the coast of Ireland, which is not less than 

 twelve hundred leagues distant. 



Thus have I given my reasons for thinking that 

 there is no continent to the northward of latitude 

 40 S. Of what may lie farther to the southward 

 than 40, I can give no opinion ; but I am so far from 

 wishing to discourage any future attempt, finally to 

 determine a question which has long been an object 

 of attention to many nations ; that now this voyage 

 has reduced the only possible site of a continent in 

 the southern hemisphere, north of latitude 40, to so 

 small a space, I think it would be pity to leave that 

 any longer unexamined, especially as the voyage may 

 turn to good account, besides determining the prin- 

 cipal question, if no continent should be found, by 

 the discovery of new islands in the tropical regions, 



VOL. II. F 



