418 Transactions. 



of Tasman, Cook, and Marion, we hoped to add to science new 

 documents on these countries still so little known, and to study 

 as closely as possible the various kingdoms of nature ; but, above 

 all, to scrupulously observe the bizarre customs and extra- 

 ordinary institutions which tend here to give the 'human species 

 a character so particular. 



As soon as the midday station was complete we bore away 

 to the N.E. and N.N.E., with an uncertain wind and cloudy 

 sky, in order to follow the coast at five or six miles distant. 

 The dense fog which enveloped the summits of the mountains 

 generally prevented our distinguishing the details. We were 

 only able to ascertain that the shore is very uniform, and ele- 

 vated in steep, inaccessible, wooded ridges, and dominated 

 in the interior by mountains of a considerable height, of which 

 many summits were divided into sharp peaks. One of them, 

 remarkable for its five points, imitated the fingers of an open hand, 

 and received the name of the Central Five Fingers, to distinguish 

 it from the Five Fingers of Cook, near Dusky Bay. 



At half-past 3 and at 5 p.m. we found 50 and 40 fathoms, 

 fine sand and mud, at least four miles from the coast. At ten 

 minutes after 5 the wind fell, and left us at the mercy of a heavy 

 swell from the S.W., and facing a fearful coast, where the sea 

 broke with unexampled fury. Already I had serious reflections 

 on our situation, when at 7 a fresh breeze up from the N.W. 

 permitted us to draw off from the coast. 



At the moment when we made our tack outwards, the 

 mountains of the coast were seen to be interrupted by a wide 

 and profound ravine, probably occupied by a river, or at least 

 by some remarkable torrent [probably the Fox River, on which 

 is the township of Brighton]. At three or four miles from that 

 ravine, and more than three miles from the sea, the peak Five 

 Fingers rises, whilst at fifteen miles N.N.E. we perceived a low 

 point which projected some distance into the sea [Cape Foulwind]. 



All night the wind blew from the N.W. in heavy squalls, 

 with rain, and an obscured sky of the most sinister appearance. 

 Beyond that, the swell from the S.W., which we met right ahead, 

 caused us much heavy pitching. Our position, already suffi- 

 ciently critical on this iron coast, became more disquieting 

 towards 4 a.m. At that lime the sky was charged with clouds 

 in all parts, and the rain fell in veritable torrents, whilst the 

 wind blew very fresh, witli heavy squalls, from the N.W. to the 

 W.N.W. It became necessary to reef the mizzen and the smaller 

 topsails, whilst we lay as near the wind as possible, but it was 

 impossible to save them. During some hours I felt extreme 

 anxiety, for if the wind had changed to the W.S.W. and S.W., 

 and blew with the same force ami as long as we hail had it a few 



