132 cook's SECOND VOYAGE OCT. 



the first time, to leave a coast I had discovered, be- 

 fore it was fully explored. I called it New Caledo- 

 nia ; and, if we except New Zealand, it is perhaps 

 the largest island in the South Pacific Ocean ; for 

 it extends from the latitude of 19° 3?' to 2«° 30' S., 

 and from the longitude of 163° $f to 167° 14/ E. It 

 lies nearly N. W. {W., and S. E. -£-E., and is about 

 eighty-seven leagues long in that direction ; but its 

 breadth is not considerable, not any where exceeding 

 ten leagues. It is a country full of hills and valleys, of 

 various extent both for height and depth. To judge 

 of the whole by the parts we were on, from these 

 hills spring vast numbers of little rivulets, which 

 greatly contribute to fertilize the plains, and to sup- 

 ply all the wants of the inhabitants. The summits 

 of most of the hills seem to be barren ; though some 

 few are clothed with wood ; as are all the plains and 

 valleys. By reason of these hills, many parts of the 

 coast, when at a distance from it, appeared indented, 

 or to have great inlets between the hills ; but, when 

 we came near the shore, we always found such places 

 shut up with low land, and also observed low land to 

 lie along the coast between the sea-shore and the foot 

 of the hills. As this was the case in all such parts 

 as we came near enough to see, it is reasonable to 

 suppose that the whole coast is so. I am likewise of 

 opinion, that the whole, or greatest part, is sur- 

 rounded by reefs or shoals, which render the access 

 to it very dangerous, but at the same time guard the 

 coast from the violence of the wind and sea ; make 

 it abound with fish ; secure an easy and safe naviga- 

 tion along it, for canoes, &c. and most likely form 

 some good harbours for shipping. Most, if not every 

 part of the coast is inhabited, the Isle of Pines not 

 excepted ; for we saw either smoke by day, or fires 

 by night, wherever we came. In the extent which I 

 have given to this island is included the broken or 

 unconnected lands to the N. W., as they are deline- 

 ated in the chart. That they may be connected, I 



