364^ cook's first voyage D£c* 



as we could bear ; and at noon the next day, we 

 were in latitude 34* 10', longitude IS^'^ 45' W., and 

 by estimation about seventeen leagues from the land, 

 notwithstanding our utmost endeavours to keep in 

 with it. 



On the l6th, at six in the morning, we saw land 

 from the mast-head, bearing S. S. W. ; and at noon it 

 bore S.by W. distant fourteen leagues: while we were 

 standing in for the shore, we sounded several times, 

 but had no ground with ninety fathom. At eight, 

 we tacked in a hundred and eight fathom, at about 

 three or four miles from the shore, which was the 

 same point of land that we had to the N. W. before 

 we w^ere blown off. At noon, it bore S. W., distant 

 about three miles ; Mount Camel bore S. by E., dis- 

 tant about eleven leagues, and the westernmost land 

 in sight bore S. 75 W. ; the latitude by observation 

 was 34° '20' S. At four o'clock, we tacked and stood 

 in shore, in doing which, we met with a strong rip- 

 pling, and the ship fell fast to leeward, which we 

 imputed to a current setting east. At eight, we 

 tacked and stood off till eight the next morning ; 

 when we tacked and stood in, being about ten leagues 

 from the land : at noon, the point of land which we 

 were near the day before, bore S. S. W. distant ^ve 

 leagues. The wind still continued at west ; and at 

 seven o'clock, we tacked in thirty-five fathom, when 

 the point of land which has been mentioned before, 

 bore N. W. by N., distant four or five miles ; so 

 that we had not gained one inch to windward the 

 last twenty-four hours, which confirmed our opinion 

 that there was a current to the eastward. The point 

 of land I called North Cape, it being the northern 

 extremity of this country. It lies in latitude 34°22'S., 

 longitude 186° 55' W., and thirty-one leagues distant 

 from Cape Bret, in the direction of N. 63 W. It 

 forms the north point of Sandy Bay, and is a penin- 

 sula jutting out N. E. about two miles, and terminat- 

 ing in a bluff head that is flat at the top. The isthmus 



