177<5» ROUND THE WORLD. 181 



round the cape, we met with a very strong current 

 from the south : it made a race which looked like 

 breakers ; and it was as much as we could do, with 

 a strong gale, to make head against it. 



After getting round the cape, I hauled up along 

 the south coast ; and as soon as we had brought the 

 wind to blow off the land, it came upon us in such 

 heavy squalls as obliged us to double-reef our top- 

 sails. It afterwards fell, by little and little, and at 

 noon ended in a calm. At this time Cape St. John 

 bore N. 20° east, distant three and a half leagues ; 

 Cape St. Bartholomew, or the S W. point of Staten 

 Land, S. 83° west ; two high detached rocks N. 80° 

 west ; and the place where the land seemed to be di- 

 vided, which had the same appearance on this side, 

 bore N. 15° west, three leagues distant. Latitude 

 observed 54° 56'. In this situation we sounded, but 

 had no bottom, with a line of one hundred and twen- 

 ty fathoms. The calm was of very short duration, a 

 breeze presently springing up at N. W., but it was 

 too faint to make head against the current, and we 

 drove with it back to the N. N. E. At four o'clock 

 the wind veered at once to S. by E. and blew in 

 squalls attended with rain. Two hours after, the 

 squalls and rain subsided, and the wind returning 

 back to the west, blew a gentle gale. All this time 

 the current set us to the north ; so that, at eight 

 o'clock, Cape St. John bore W. N. W. distant about 

 seven leagues. I now gave over plying, and steered 

 S. E. with a resolution to leave the land ; judging it 

 to be sufficiently explored to answer the most gene- 

 ral purposes of navigation and geography. 



n 5 



