188 COOK S FIRST VOYAGE AUGUST, 



Guinea ; a question which I was determined to re- 

 solve from my first coming within sight of land. 

 However, as I had experienced the disadvantage of 

 having a boat under repair, at a time when it was 

 possible I might want to use her, I determined to 

 remain fast at anchor, till the pinnace was perfectly 

 refitted. As I had no employment for the other 

 boats, I sent them out in the morning to the reef, 

 to see what refreshments could be procured, and 

 Mr. Banks, in his little boat, accompanied by Dr. 

 Solander, went with them. In this situation I found 

 the variation by amplitude and azimuth to be 4 9' 

 E. ; and at noon, our latitude, by observation, was 

 12 38' S., and our longitude 216 45' W. The main 

 land extended from N. 66 W. to S. W. by S., and 

 the nearest part of it was distant about nine leagues. 

 The opening through which we had passed, 1 called 

 Providential Channel ; and this bore E. N. E., 

 distant ten or twelve miles : on the main land with- 

 in us was a lofty promontory, which I called Cape; 

 Weymouth ; on the north side of which is a bay, 

 which I called Weymouth Bay : they lie in latitude 

 12 42' S., longitude 217 15" W. At four o'clock 

 in the afternoon the boats returned' with two hundred 

 and forty pounds of the meat of shell-fish, chiefly of 

 cockles, some of which were as much as two men 

 could move, and contained twenty pounds of good 

 meat. Mr. Banks also brought back many curious 

 shells, and Mollusca ; besides many species of coral, 

 among which was that called the Tubijpora musica. 



At six o'clock in the morning we got under sail, 

 and stood away to the N. W., having two boats 

 a-head to direct us , our soundings were very irre- 

 gular, varying five or six fathom every cast, between 

 ten and twenty-seven. A little before noon, we 

 passed a low sandy island, which we left on our 

 starboard side, at the distance of two miles. At 

 noon our latitude was 12 28', and our distance 

 from the main about four leagues : it extended 



