118 cook's FIRST VOYAGE JUNE, 



first, or even second time that we had remarked 

 the same thing. At sun-rise this morning, we found 

 the variation to be 6 45' E. ; and in steering along 

 the shore, between the island and the main, at the 

 distance of about two leagues from the main, and 

 three or four from the island, our soundings were re- 

 gular from twelve to nine fathom ; but about eleven 

 o'clock in the forenoon, we were again embarrassed 

 with shoal water, having at one time not more than 

 three fathom ; yet we got clear, without casting an- 

 chor. At noon we were about two leagues from the 

 main, and four from the islands without us. Our 

 latitude by observation was 20 56', and a high pro- 

 montory, which I named Cape Hillsborough, bore 

 W. JN., distant seven miles. The land here is diver- 

 sified by mountains, hills, plains, and valleys, and 

 seems to be well clothed wiih herbage and wood : 

 the islands which lie parallel to the coast, and from 

 five to eight or nine miles distant, are of various 



height and extent ; scarcely any of them are more 



than five leagues in circumference, and many are not 

 four miles : besides this chain of islands, which lies 

 at a distance from the coast, there are others much 

 less, which lie under the land, from which we saw 

 smoke rising in different places. We continued to 

 steer along the shore at the distance of about two 

 leagues, with regular soundings from nine to ten fa- 

 thom. At sun-set, the farthest point of the main 

 bore N. 48 W., and to the northward of this lay some 

 high land, which I took to be an island, and of which 

 the north-west point bore 41 W. ; but not being sure 

 of a passage, I came to an anchor about eight o'clock 

 in the evening, in ten fathom water, with a muddy 

 bottom. About ten we had a tide setting to the 

 northward, and at two it had fallen nine feet ; after 

 this it began to rise, and the flood came from the 

 northward, in the direction of the islands which lay 

 out to sea ; a plain indication that there was no pas- 

 sage to the N. W. This, however, had not appeared 



