177^* ROUND THE WORLDS 121 



just see from the mast-head : it is very low, and a 

 continuation of the low land which we had seen at 

 the bottom of Repulse Bay. This bay I called 

 Edgecumbe Bay, but without staying to look into 

 it, we continued our course to the westward, for the 

 farthest land we could see in that direction, which 

 bore W. by N. - N. and appeared very high. At 

 noon, we were about three leagues from the shore, 

 by observation in latitude 19 47 / S., and Cape Glou- 

 cester bore S. 63 E., distant seven leagues and a 

 half. At six in the evening, we were abreast of the 

 westermost point just mentioned, at about three miles 

 distance ; and because it rises abruptly from the low 

 lands which surround it, I called it Cape Upstart. 

 It lies in latitude 19 39' S., longitude 212 32' W., 

 fourteen leagues W. N. W. from Cape Gloucester, 

 and is of a height sufficient to be seen at the dis- 

 tance of twelve leagues : inland there are some high 

 hills or mountains, which, like the Cape, afford but 

 a barren prospect. Having passed this Cape, we 

 continued standing to the W. N. W. as the land lay, 

 under an easy sail, having from sixteen to ten fa- 

 thom, till two o'clock in the morning, when we fell 

 into seven fathom ; upon which we hauled our wind 

 to the northward, judging ourselves to be very near 

 land : at day-break, we found our conjecture to be 

 true, being within little more than two leagues of it. 

 In this part of the coast, the land being very low, is 

 nearer than it appears to be, though it is diversified 

 with here and there a hill. At noon, we were about 

 four leagues from the land, in fifteen fathom water, 

 and our latitude, by observation, was 19 12' S., 

 Cape Upstart bearing S. 32 30' E., distant twelve 

 leagues. About this time some very large columns 

 of smoke were seen rising from the low lands. At 

 sun-set, the preceding night, when we were close 

 under Cape Upstart, the variation was nearly 9 E., 

 and at sun-rise this day, it was no more than 5 35' ; 

 I judged therefore that it had been influenced by iron 



