T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N. 38 



1778 



May 



The wind, by this time, had increafed to a very ftrong '^778 



gale, and forced us to a good diftance from the coaft. In — 

 the afternoon of the 22d, the gale abated ; and we flood to Friday 22. 

 the Northward for Cape Elizabeth ; which at noon, the next Saturday 23. 

 day, bore Weft, ten leagues diftant. At the fame time, a 

 new land was feen, bearing South 77° Weft, which was fup- 

 pofed to conneA Cape Elizabeth with the land we had feen 

 to the Weftward. 



The wind continued at Weft, and I flood to the Southward 

 till noon the next day, when we were within three leagues Sunday 24* 

 of the coaft which we had difcovered on the 22d. It here 

 formed a point that bore Weft North Weft. At the fame 

 time, more land was feen extending to the Southward, as 

 far as South South Weft ; the whole being twelve or fifteen 

 leagues diftant. On it was feen a ridge of mountains co- 

 vered with fnow, extending to the North Weft, behind the 

 firft land, which we judged to be an ifland, from the very 

 inconfiderable quantity of fnow that lay upon it. This 

 point of land is fituated in the latitude of 58' 15', and in 

 the longitude of 207* 42' ; and by what I can gather 

 from the account of Beering's voyage, and the chart that 

 accompanies it in the Englifh edition*, I conclude, that ic 

 muft be what he called Cape St. Hermogenes. But the ac- 

 count of that voyage is fo very much abridged, and the 

 chart fo extremely inaccurate, that it is hardly poftible, 

 either by the one or by the other, or by comparing both to- 

 gether, to find out any one place which that navigator either 

 faw or touched at. Were I to form a judgment of Beer- 

 ing's proceedings on this coaft, I fliould fuppofe, that he fell 

 in with the continent near Mount Fair-weather. But I am. 



* Captain Cook means Muller'sj of which a traofiation had been publifhed in- 

 London fome time before he failed.. 



by 



