TO KAMTSCHATKA. 135 



we continued our course to the west, to discover the 

 island of Sales. Towards morning we observed seve- 

 ral sea-fowls, whose numbers increased as we sailed 

 rapidly forward. Soon afterwards, so many pelicans 

 and frigate birds appeared, and fluttered, as if curi- 

 ous, round the ship, that we could no longer doubt 

 the vicinity of land, and in reality the sailor at the 

 mast-head gave us the agreeable news that he des- 

 cried land. At noon we could plainly see from the 

 quarter-deck, to the S.W. 66°y a small rocky island 

 at the distance of ten miles, and though the longi- 

 tude differed rather from that given, I could enter- 

 tain no doubt but that it was the island of Sales, 

 The greatest distance at which this island may be 

 seen is fifteen miles, and then it has the appear- 

 ance of two groups of rocks lying near each other; 

 but as you come nearer, the low land which unites 

 them becomes visible ; its length is about a 

 mile from N.W.W. to S.E.E. j its breadth is not 

 considerable. We very soon approached the island 

 to the south, within three-quarters of a mile, when 

 we could plainly discern with our telescopes all 

 the objects on shore, the sight of which was not 

 very delightful to us, as no friendly green covers 

 the grey rocks, which lie scattered in large masses, 

 and give the island the appearance of a melancholy 

 ruin, inhabited only by sea-fowls. On the N.E. 

 and S.W. points are reefs, against which the surf 

 dashes with violence, and where we looked in vain 

 for the remains of a wrecked ship, probably be- 



K 4 



