17^9. ROUND THE WORLD. S45 



thought it most advisable to tack, and stretch in 

 under the point, where we anchored in nineteen 

 fathom. At five in the morning of the 24th, we 

 weighed, and made sail to the N. W. under our 

 courses and double reefed topsails, the wind being 

 at S. W. by W. and W. S. W. a strong gale and 

 squally. As the gale would not permit us to come 

 near the land, we had but a slight and distant view 

 of it from the time when we got under sail till noon, 

 during a run of twelve leagues, but we never once 

 lost sight of it. At this time, our latitude by obser- 

 vation was 36° 15' Q0'\ we were not above two miles 

 from a point of land on the main, and three leagues 

 and an half from a very high island, which bore N.E. 

 by E. : in this situation we had twenty-six fathom 

 water : the farthest point on the main that we could 

 see bore N. W. but we could perceive several small 

 islands lying to the north of that direction. The 

 point of land of which we were now a-breast, and 

 which I called Point Rodney, is the N. W. extre- 

 mity of the river Thames ; for under that name I 

 comprehend the deep bay, which terminates in the 

 fresh water stream, and the N. E. extremity is the 

 promontory which we passed when we entered it, 

 and which I called Cape Colville, in honour of the 

 Right Honourable Lord Colville. 



Cape Colville lies in latitude 36'^ 26", longitude 

 184° 27'; it rises directly from the sea, to a consi- 

 derable height, and is remarkable for a lofty rock, 

 which stands to the pitch of the point, and may be 

 distinguished at a very great distance. From the 

 south point of this cape, the river runs in a direct 

 line S. by E., and is no where less than three leagues 

 broad for the distance of fourteen leagues above the 

 cape, and there it is contracted to a narrow stream, 

 but continues the same course through a low flat 

 country, or broad valley, which lies parallel with the 

 sea coast, and the end of which we could not see. 

 On the east side of the broad part of this river, the 



