December. 



A VOYAGE TO 



1773, after his reparation from me during my late voyage. 

 His log-book is now lying before me; and I find from it, 

 that he crofled the meridian of this land only about feven- 

 teen leagues to the Southward of Cape George j a diftance 

 at which it may very well be feen in clear weather. This 

 feems to have been the cafe when Captain Furneaux pafled 

 it. For his log-book makes no mention of fogs or hazy 

 •weather ; on the contrary, it exprefsly tells us, that, when 

 in this fituation, ihey had it in then- power to make obfer- 

 vations, both for latitude and longitude, on board his fliip; 

 fo that, if this land extends farther South than Cape George, 

 it would have been fcarcely poffible that he fliould hav€ 

 pafTed without feeing it. 



From thefe circumftances "we are able to determine, 

 within a very few miles, the quantity of latitude that this 

 land occupies ; which does not much exceed one degree and 

 a quarter. As to its extent from Eaft to Weft, that ftill re- 

 mains undecided. We only know, that no part of it can 

 reach fo far to the Weft as the meridian of 65°; becaufe, in 

 1773, under tha: meridian, I fearched for it in vain *. 



The French difcoverers, with fome reafon, imagined Cape 

 St. Louis f to be the proje(5ling point of a Southern conti- 

 nent. 



* If the French obfervatlons, as marked upon Captain Cook's Chart, and ftill more 

 authentically upon that publifhed by their own difcoverers, may be depended upon, 

 tliis land doth not reach fo far to the Weft as the meridian of 68°; Cape Louis, 

 which is reprefented as its moft Wefterly point, being laid down by them to the Eaft; 

 of that meridian. 



■^ The idea of Cape Louis being this projefting point of a. Southern continent, mufl 

 have foon vaniflied,- as Cape Francois, within a year after, was found, by the fame 

 difcoverer, to lie above one third of a degree farther North upon the fame land. But 

 if Kerguelen entertained any fuch imagination at firft, we are fure that, at prefent, 

 bethinks very differently. This appears from the following explicit declaration of his 

 fentimenis, which deferves to be tranfcribed from his late publication, as it does equal 



A hoUOUE 



