4o<. 



A VOYAGE TO 



>779- 

 Oaober 



day, foretold its coming, and one of the iloops had, not- 

 withfianding, flood far oat to fea, we may fafely conclude, 

 that they are perfectly capable of bearing a gale of wind. 

 Spanberg indeed defcribes two kinds of Japanefe vefTels ; 

 one anfwering to the above defcription of Kctmpfer; the 

 other, which he calls bufTcs, and in which, he fays, they 

 make their voyages to the neighbouring ifhnds, exactly 

 correfponds with thofe we faw *, 



At eight in the evening, the gale fhifted to the Weft, with- 

 out abating the lead in violence, and by raifing a fudden 

 fwell, in a contrary direction to that which prevailed before, 

 occafioned the mips to ftrain and labour exceedingly. Dur- 

 ing the dorm, fevcral of the fails were fplit on board the 

 Refolution. Indeed they had been fo long bent, and were 

 worn fo thin, that this accident had of late happened to us 

 almoft daily, in both mips ; efpecially when being fliff 

 and heavy with the rain, they became lefs able to bear the 

 fhocks of the violent and variable winds we at this time ex- 

 perienced. The gale at length growing moderate, and 

 fettling to the Weft, we kept upon a wind to the Southward; 

 Saturday 30. and at nine in the morning of the 30th, we faw the land, 

 at the diilance of about fifteen leagues, bearing from Weft 

 by North to North Weft one quarter Weft. It appeared in 

 detached parts ; but whether they were fmall illands, or 

 parts of Japan, our diftancc did not enable us to determine. 

 At noon, it extended from North Weft to Weft, the nearelt 

 land being about thirteen leagues diftant, beyond which 

 the coaft fcemed to run in a Wefterly direction. The lati- 

 tude, by obfervation, was 36 41', longitude 142° 6'. The 

 point to the Northward, which was fuppofed to be near the 



Vide Muller, Fr. ed. .page 215. 



Southernmost 



