1770. ROUND THE WORLD. 11 



and the amplitude, to be 15 10' E. On the 7th at 

 noon, we were in latitude 47' 6' S., and had made 

 twelve miles easting during the last twenty-four 

 hdurs. We stood to the westward the remainder of 

 this day, and all the next till sunset, when the ex- 

 tremes of the land bore from N. by E. to W. distant 

 about seven or eight leagues : in this situation our 

 depth of water was fifty-five fathom, and the variation 

 by amplitude 16 29' E. The wind now veered from 

 the N. to the W., and as we had fine weather, and 

 moonlight, we kept standing close upon the wind 

 to the 8. W. all night. At four in the morning, we 

 had sixty fathom water ; and at daylight we dis- 

 covered under our bow a ledge of rocks, extending 

 from $. by "\\\ to W. by S. upon which the sea broke 

 very high : they were not more than three quarters 

 of a mile distant, yet we had five-and-forty fathom 

 water. As the wind was at N. W. we could not 

 now weather them, and as I was unwilling to run 

 to leeward, I tacked and made a trip to the east- 

 ward ; the wind however soon after coming to the 

 northward, enabled us to get clear of all. Our 

 soundings, while we were passing within the ledge, 

 were from thirty-five to forty-seven fathom, with a 

 rocky bottom. 



This ledge lies S. E. six leagues from the souther- 

 most part of the land, and S. E. by E. from some 

 remarkable hills which stand near the shore : about 

 three leagues to the northward of it, there is another 

 ledge, which lies full three leagues from the shore, 

 and on which the sea broke in a dreadful surf. As 

 we passed these rocks to the north in the night, and 

 discovered the others under our bow at break of 

 day, it is manifest that our danger was imminent, 

 and our escape critical in the highest degree : from 

 the situation of these rocks, so well adapted to catch 

 unwary strangers, I called them the Traps. Our 

 latitude at noon was 47 %& S. The land in sight, 

 which had the appearance of an island, extended 



