136 cook's second VOYAGE OCT. 



This had eighty-eight teeth in each jaw. The haslet 

 and lean flesh were to us a feast. The latter was a 

 little liverish, but had not the least fishy taste. It 

 was eaten z^oasted, broiled, and fried, first soaking 

 it in warm water. Indeed little art was wanting to 

 make any thing fresh, palatable to those who had 

 been living so long on salt meat. 



We continued to stretch to W. S. W. till the 10th, 

 when, at day-break, we discovered land bearing 

 S. W., which on a nearer approach we found to be 

 an island of good height, and five leagues in circuit. 

 I named it Norfolk Isle, in honour of the noble fa- 

 mily of Howard. It is situated in the latitude of 

 29° c ? 30" S., and longitude 168°16"E. The latter 

 was determined by lunar observations made on this, 

 the preceding, and following days ; and the former, 

 by a good observation at noon, when we were about 

 three miles from the isle. Soon after we discovered 

 the isle we sounded in twenty-two fathoms on a bank 

 of coral sand ; after this we continued to sound, and 

 found not less than twenty- two, or more than twen- 

 ty-four fathoms (except near the shore), and the 

 same bottom mixed with broken shells. After din- 

 ner, a party of us embarked in two boats, and landed 

 on the island, without any difficulty, behind some 

 large rocks which lined part of the coast on the N. E. 

 side. 



We found it uninhabited, and were undoubtedly 

 the first that ever set foot on it. We observed many 

 trees and plants common at New Zealand ; and, in 

 particular, the flax plant, which is rather more luxu- 

 riant here than in any part of that country ; but the 

 chief produce is a sort of spruce pine, which grows 

 in great abundance, and to a large size, many of the 

 trees being as thick, breast high, as two men could 

 fathom, and exceedingly straight and tall. This pine 

 is of a sort between that which grows in New Zealand 

 and that in New Caledonia ; the foliage differing 

 something from both ; and the wood not so heavy as 



