1779. THE PACIFIC OCEAK. 365 



voyages to the neighbouring islands, exactly corre- 

 sponds with those we saw\ * 



At eight in the evening, the gale shifted to the 

 west without abating the least in violence, and by 

 raising a sudden swell in a contrary direction to that 

 which prevailed before, occasioned the ships to strain 

 and labour exceedingly. During the storm several 

 of the sails were split on board the Resolution. In- 

 deed they had been so long bent, and were worn so 

 thin, that this accident had of late happened to us 

 almost daily in both ships ; especially, when being 

 stiff and heavy with the rain, they became less able 

 to bear the shocks of the violent and variable winds 

 we at this time experienced. The gale at length 

 growing moderate, and settling to the west, we kept 

 upon a wind to the southward ; and at nine in the 

 morning of the 30th we saw the land at the distance 

 of about fifteen leagues, bearing from west by north 

 to north-west one quarter west. It appeared in' de- 

 tached parts ; but whether they were small islands 

 or parts of Japan, our distance did not enable us to 

 determine. At noon it extended from north-west to 

 west, the nearest land being about thirteen leagues 

 distant, beyond which the coast seemed to run in a 

 westerly direction. The latitude, by observation, 

 was 36° 41', longitude 142° 6'. The point to the 

 northward, which was supposed to be near the south- 

 ernmost land seen the day before, we conjectured to 

 be Cape de Kennis, and the break to the southward 

 of this point, to be the mouth of the river on which 

 the town of Gissima is said to be situated. The next 

 cape is probably that called in the Dutch charts 

 Boomtje's Point, and the southernmost, off which we 

 were abreast at noon, we suppose to be near Low 

 Point t, and that we were at too great a distance to 



* Vide Muller, Fr. ed. page 215. 



f Lage HoecJc, or Low Point, is placed by Jansen in latitude 

 36° 40'. 



