178 cook's second voyage dec. 



temptation too great for people in our situation to 

 withstand, to whom fresh provisions of any kind were 

 acceptable ; and determined me to anchor, in order 

 that we might taste of what we now only saw at a 

 distance. At length, after making a few boards, 

 fishing, as it were, for the best ground, we anchored 

 in twenty-one fathoms water, a stony bottom, about 

 a mile from the island, which extended from N. 18° 

 E, to N. 55° -f- W. ; and soon after, the weather clear- 

 ing up, we saw Cape St. John, or the east end of Sta- 

 ten Land, bearing S. 75° E., distant four leagues. 

 We were sheltered from the south wind by Staten 

 Land, and from the north wind by the island ; the 

 other isles lay to the west, and secured us from that 

 wind ; but beside being open to the N. E. and E. we 

 also lay exposed to the N.N.W. winds. This might 

 have been avoided by anchoring more to the west ; 

 but I made choice of my situation for two reasons : 

 first, to be near the island we intended to land upon ; 

 and secondly, to be able to get to sea with any wind. 

 After dinner we hoisted out three boats, and landed 

 with a large party of men ; some to kill seals ; others 

 to catch or kill birds, fish, or what came in our way. 

 To find of the former, it mattered not where we 

 landed ; for the whole shore was covered with them ; 

 and, by the noise they made, one would have thought 

 the island was stocked with cows and calves. On 

 landing, we found they were a different animal from 

 seals, but in shape and motion exactly resembling 

 them. We called them lions, on account of the great 

 resemblance the male has to that beast. Here were 

 also the same kind of seals which we found in New 

 Zealand, generally known by the name of sea-bears ; 

 at least, we gave them that name. They were, in 

 general, so tame, or rather stupid, as to suffer us to 

 come near enough to knock them down with sticks $ 

 but the large ones we shot, not thinking it safe to 

 approach them. We also found on the island abund- 

 ance of penguins and shags ; and the latter had young 



