392 cook's first voyage feb. 



noon, however, a more steady gale at N. by W. set 

 us clear of the Sound, which 1 shall now describe. 



The entrance of Queen Charlotte's Sound is situ- 

 ated in latitude 41° S., longitude 184° 45' W., and 

 near the middle of the south-west side of the streight 

 in which it h'es. The land of the south-east liead of 

 the Sound, called by the natives Koamaroo, off 

 which lie two small islands and some rocks, makes 

 the narrowest part of the streight. From the north- 

 west head a reef of rocks runs out about two miles, in 

 the direction of N. E. by N. ; part of which is above 

 the water, and part below. By this account of the 

 heads, the Sound will be sufficiently known : at the 

 entrance it is three leagues broad, and lies in S. W. 

 by S. S. W. and W. S. W. at least ten leagues, and is 

 a collection of some of the finest harbours in the 

 world, as will appear from the plan, which is laid 

 down with all the accuracy that time and circum- 

 stances would admit. The land forming the harbour 

 or cove in which we lay, is called by the natives 

 ToTARRANUE *. the harbour itself, which I called Ship 

 Cove, is not inferior to any in the Sound, either for 

 convenience or safety : it lies on the west side of the 

 Sound, and is the southernmost of three coves, that 

 are situated within the island of Motuara, which 

 bears east of it. Ship Cove may be entered, either 

 between Motuara and a long island, called by the 

 natives Hamote, or between Motuara and the western 

 shore. In the last of these channels are two ledges 

 of rocks, three fathom under water, which may easily 

 be known by the sea-weed that grows upon them. 

 In sailing either in or out of the Sound, with little 

 wind, attention must be had to the tides, which flow 

 about nine or ten o'clock at the full and change of 

 the moon, and rise and fall between seven and eight 

 feet perpendicularly. The flood comes in through 

 the streight from the S. E. and sets strongly over 

 upon the north-west head, and the reef that lies off 

 it : the ebb sets with still greater rapidity to the S.E. 

 over upon the rocks and islands that lie off the south- 



