208 cook's SECOND VOYAGE FEB, 



to space between them, which made me conclude 

 that the whole was connected. I was sorry I could 

 not determine this with greater certainty ; but 

 prudence would not permit me to venture near a 

 coast, subject to thick fogs, on which there was no 

 anchorage ; where every port was blocked or filled 

 up with ice ; and the whole country, from the sum- 

 mits of the mountains, down to the very brink of the 

 cliffs which terminate the coast, covered, many 

 fathoms thick, with everlasting snow. The cliffs 

 alone was all which was to be seen like land. 



Several large islands lay upon the coast ; one of 

 which attracted my notice. It had a flat surface, 

 was of considerable extent both in height and circuit, 

 and had perpendicular sides, on which the waves of 

 the sea had made no impression ; by which I judged 

 that it had not been long from land, and that it 

 might have lately come out of some bay on the coast, 

 where it had been formed. 



At noon we were east and west of the northern 

 part of Cape Montagu, distant about five leagues, 

 and Freezeland Peak bore S. 16° E., distant twelve 

 leagues ; latitude observed o8° 25' S. In the morning 

 the variation was 10° 1 V E. At two in the afternoon, 

 as we were standing to the north, with a light breeze 

 at S.W. we saw land bearing N. 25' E., distant 

 fourteen leagues. Cape Montagu bore at this time, 

 S. 66° E. ; at eight it bore S. 40° E. ; Cape Bristol, 

 S. by E. ; the new land extending from N. 40° to 52° 

 E. ; and we thought we saw land still more to the E., 

 and beyond it. 



Continuing to steer to the north all night, at six 

 o'clock the next morning, a new land was seen 

 bearing N. 12° E., about ten leagues distant. It ap- 

 peared in two hummocks just peeping above the 

 horizon ; but we soon after lost sight of them ; and 

 having got the wind at N.N.E., a fresh breeze, we 

 stood for the northernmost land we had seen the day 

 before, which at this time bore E.S.E. We fetched 



