400 



A VOYAGE TO 



>?79- mean of the variation, from obfervations taken both in the 

 fore and afternoon, was i* 20' Eaft. 



— j 



At half paft three in the afternoon, we loll fight of the 



land ; and, from its breaking off fo fuddenly, conjectured, 



that what we had feen this day is an ifland, or, perhaps, a 



clutter of iflands, lying off the main land of Japan ; but as 



the iflands, called by Janfen the Schildpads, and by Mr. 



D'Anville Matfima, though laid down nearly in the fame 



fuuation, are not equal in extent to the land feen by us, we 



muft leave this point undecided. Having kept a South Weft 



courfe during the remaining part of the day, we found 



ourfelves, at midnight, in feventy fathoms water, over a 



bottom of fine dark brown fand. We therefore hauled up 



Friday z 9 . to the Eaftward, till morning, when we faw the land again, 



about eleven leagues to the Southward of that which we 



had feen the day before; and at £ight,_ we were within fix 



or feven miles of the more, having carried in regular 



foundings from fixty-five to twenty fathoms, over coarfe 



fand and gravel. Unluckily there was a haze over the land, 



which hindered our diftinguifhing fmall objects on it. The 



coaft is ftraight and unbroken, and runs nearly in a North 



and South direction. Toward the fea the ground is low, but 



rifes gradually into hills of a moderate height, whofe tops 



are tolerably even, and covered with wood. 



At nine o'clock, the wind fhifting to the Southward, and 

 the Iky lowring, we tacked and flood off to the Eaft, and 

 foon after, we faw a veffel, clofe in with the land, Handing 

 along the more to the Northward, and another in the ofling, 

 coming down on us before the wind. Objects of any kind, 

 belonging to a country fo famous, and yet fo little known, 

 it will be cafily conceived, muft have excited a general curi- 



7 ofity, 



