86 REACri AN ANCHORAGE 



1824. but the whole coast hitherto seen, had neither 

 Sept. an inlet, nor a single protected indentation. 



The morning of the 6th was beautifully clear, 

 but the gale continued undiminished, although 

 by noon it had slowly veered round to west. 

 After noon it moderated, and the sea fell, so 

 that in the evening we made sail, and ran a 

 few miles to the northward. At midnight we 

 hove to on the starboard tack, as the night 

 was very dark, and the stars by which we 

 steered were obscured. The soundings as we 

 lay to were very regular. At twilight on the 

 7th, I w^ent on deck, intending to keep the 

 ship her course, when I found her head N.w.b.N. 

 on the starboard tack. Her course being north 

 (true,) I would under any other circumstances 

 have kept a close luff, but, not trusting to the 

 compasses, T wore ship, and she having by 

 compass shifted twenty-nine points in going 

 round, came to north-compass, at which there 

 was now no magnetic error. The wind, being 

 a-beam, must therefore have been west. As we 

 stood on, the breeze gradually freshened to a 

 gale from n.n.w., but we obtained sights, and 

 towards noon the land was seen extending from 

 N.N.W. to north. This we knew" must be the 

 land somewhere near Cape Fullerton, and as 

 but little sea arose, I carried on, even ahhough 



