128 cook's second voyage SEPT. 



situated in the latitude'of 22° 29' S., longitude 166° 

 57' E., is of a considerable height, and, when it first 

 appears above the horizon, looks like an island From 

 this cape the coast trended nearly N.W. This was 

 rather too northerly a direction to join that part 

 which we saw from the hills of Balade. But as it 

 was very high land which opened off* the cape in that 

 direction, it is very probable that lower land, which 

 we could not see, opened sooner ; or else the coast 

 more to the N.W. takes a more westerly direction, 

 in the same manner as the N. E. coast. Be this as it 

 may, we pretty well know the extent of the land, by 

 having it confined within certain limits. However, 

 I still entertained hopes of seeing more of it ; but 

 was disappointed. 



The little isle upon which we landed, is a mere 

 sand bank, not exceeding three-fourths of a mile in 

 circuit, and on it, besides these pines, grew the Etos 

 tree of Otaheite, and a variety of other trees, shrubs, 

 and plants. These gave sufficient employment to 

 our botanists, all the time we said upon it, and 

 occasioned my calling it Botany Isle. On it were 

 several water-snakes, some pigeons and doves, seem- 

 ingly different from any we had seen. One of the 

 officers shot a hawk, which proved to be of the very 

 same sort as our English fishing-hawks. Several 

 fire-places, branches, and leaves very little decayed, 

 remains of turtle, &c. showed that people had lately 

 been on the isle. The hull of a canoe, precisely of 

 the same shape as those we had seen at Balade, lay 

 wrecked in the sand. We were now no longer at a 

 loss to know of what trees they make their canoes, as 

 they can be no other than these pines. On this 

 little isle were some which measured twenty inches 

 diameter, and between sixty and seventy feet in 

 length, and would have done very well for a fore- 

 mast to the Resolution, had one been wanting. 

 Since trees of this size are to be found on so small a 

 spot, it is reasonable to expect to find some much 



