1769. ROUND THE WORLD. 77 



and about the middle are two cocoa-nut trees, which 

 rise above all the rest, and, as we came near to the 

 island, appeared like a flag. We approached it on 

 the north side, and though we came within a mile, 

 we found no bottom with 130 fathom of line, nor 

 did there appear to be any anchorage about it. The 

 whole is covered with trees of different verdure, but 

 w^e could distinguish none, even with our glasses, 

 except cocoa-nuts and palm-nuts. We saw several 

 of the natives upon the shore, and counted four and 

 twenty. They appeared to be tall, and to have 

 heads remarkably large ; perhaps they had some- 

 thing wound round them which we could not dis- 

 tinguish ; they were of a copper colour, and had 

 long black hair. Eleven of them walked along the 

 beach abreast of the ship, with poles or pikes in 

 their hands which reached twice as high as them- 

 selves. While they walked on the beach they seemed 

 to be naked ; but soon after they retired, which they 

 did as soon as the ship had passed the island, they 

 covered themselves with something that made them 

 appear of a light colour. Their habitations were 

 under some clumps of palm-nut trees, which at a 

 distance appeared like high ground ; and to us, who 

 for a long time had seen nothing but water and sky, 

 except the dreary hills of Terra del Fuego, these 

 groves seemed a terrestrial paradise. To this spot, 

 which lies in latitude 18° 47" S., and longitude 139° 

 28' W. we gave the name of Lagoon Island. The 

 variation of the needle here is 2° 54' E. 



About one o'clock we made sail to the westward, 

 and about half an hour after three we saw land again 

 to the N. W. We got up with it at sunset, and it 

 proved to be a low woody island, of a circular form, 

 and not much above a mile in compass. We dis- 

 covered no inhabitants, nor could we distinguish any 

 cocoa-nut trees, though we were within half a mile 

 of the shore. The land, however, was covered with 

 verdure of many hues. It lies in latitude 18° 35' S., 



