254 cook's voyage to aug. 



half west. On the 2d, the weather becoming clear, 

 we saw the same land at noon, bearing from west- 

 south-west half west to south-east, making in a num- 

 ber of high hummocks, which had the appearance 

 of separate islands ; the latitude, by observation, 

 was 64° 3', longitude 189° 28', and depth of water 

 seventeen fathoms. We did not approach this land 

 sufficiently near to determine whether it was one 

 island, or composed of a cluster together. Its western- 

 most part we passed July 3d, in the evening, and 

 then supposed to be the island of Saint Laurence ; 

 the easternmost we ran close by in September last 

 year, and this we named Clerke's Island, and found 

 it to consist of a number of high cliffs, joined toge- 

 ther by very low land. Though we mistook, the last 

 year, those cliffs for separate islands, till we ap- 

 proached very near the shore, I should still conjecture 

 that the island Saint Laurence was distinct from 

 Clerke's Island, since there appeared a considerable 

 space between them, where we could not perceive the 

 smallest rising of ground. In the afternoon, we also 

 saw what bore the appearance of a small island, to 

 the north-east of the land, which was seen at noon, 

 and which from the haziness of the weather we had 

 only sight of once. We estimated its distance to be 

 nineteen leagues from the island of Saint Laurence, 

 in a north-east by east half east direction. On the 

 3d, we had light variable winds, and directed our 

 course round the north-west point of the island of 

 Saint Laurence. On the 4th at noon, our latitude, 

 by account, was 64° 8", longitude 188°; the island 

 Saint Laurence bearing south one quarter east, dis- 

 tant seven leagues. In the afternoon, a fresh breeze 

 springing up from the east, we steered to the south- 

 south-west, and soon lost sight of Saint Laurence. 

 On the 7th, at noon, the latitude, by observation, was 

 59° 38', longitude 183°. In the afternoon it fell 

 calm, and we got a great number of cod in seventy- 

 eight fathoms of water* The variation was found to 



