T H E P A C I F I C O C E A N. 491 



they mud be looked for near the coaft. From the mafl head, '778- 



.1/11 September. 



the fea within us appeared to be chequered with fhoals ; the ' ^ — — » 



water was very much difcoloured and muddy ; and confider- 

 ably freflier than at any of the places where we had lately 

 anchored. From this I inferred, that a confiderable river 

 runs into the fea, in this unknown part. 



As foon as we got into eight fathoms water, I fleered to 

 the Weftward, and afterward more Southerly, for the land 

 difcovered on the 5th, which, at noon the next day, bore Sunday 20. 

 South Weft by Weft, ten or eleven leagues diftant. At this 

 time, we had a frefli gale at North, with Ihowers of hail and 

 fnow at intervals, and a pretty high fea; fo that we got clear 

 of the fhoals but juft in time. As I now found that the 

 land before us lay too far to the Weftward to be Anderfon's 

 Ifland, I named it Gierke's IJland. It lies in the latitude of 

 63° 15', and in the longitude of igo" 30'. It feemed to be a 

 pretty large ifland, in which are four or more hills, all con- 

 ne<fted by low ground ; fo that, at a dittance, it looks like a 

 group of iflands. Near its Eafl part lies a fmall ifland re- 

 markable by having upon it three elevated rocks. Not only 

 the greater ifland, but this fmall fpot was inhabited. 



We got up to the Northern point of Gierke's Ifland about 

 fix o'clock, and having ranged along its coaft till dark, 

 brought to during the night. At day-break, next morning, we Monday 21; 

 flood in again for the coaft, and continued to range along it, 

 in fearch of a harbour, till noon ; when, feeing no likeli- 

 hood of fucceeding, I left it, and fleered South South Weft, 

 for the land which we had difcovered on the 29th of July i 

 having a frefli gale at North, with fliowers of fleet and 

 fnow. I remarked, that as foon as we opened the channel 

 which feparates the two continents, cloudy weather, with 



3 R 2 fnow 



