134 AVOYAGETOTHE 



^ ^if ^" P^^^ ^°^^ °^ ^^^ leagues. We now flood to the North by 



< ' Eaft, in order to gain the Htuation laid down by captain Cook. 



September, for the Bay of Idands, where we had great hopes of making a 

 "''' ^^ ^^" good port ; but after getting within two leagues of the land, 

 no place could be difcovered which had the appearance of a 

 harbour, or even a fafe bay : at the fame time we could get 

 no ground with eighty fathoms of line. Juft before noon, 

 nothing like a harbour making its appearance, and obferv- 

 ing a ledge of rocks to the Northward of us ftretching 

 fome diftance from the fhore, towards which a current 

 was fweeping us very faft, captain Dixon (who ftill took, 

 the lead) thought it moft prudent to haul off fhore to the 

 Weftward ; at the fame time the wind backed a little to 

 the Southward, which enabled us to clear the reef. We 

 fhould not have been in much danger, had there been a 

 commanding breeze ; but we unfortunately had light 

 winds, and a confiderable fwell rolling on towards the 

 fhore, againfl which the fhip could fcarcely fteer or make 

 any way. The latitude at noon was 57" b' and 136° 40' 

 longitude. 



During the afternoon we had light variable winds and 

 dark gloomy weather. At fix o'clock the land in fight 

 extended from North by Eaft to South Eaft half Eaft, dif- 

 , tant from the neareft fhore three or four leagues. Towards 

 evening the weather had a dirty unfettled appearance, and 

 in the night a heavy gale of wind came on from the Eaft 

 South Eaft, with thick rainy weather, which continued 

 Friday 15. till tcii o'clock the ncxt forenoon, when the weather grew 

 more moderate. 



We 



