7 8 ACCOUNT OF THE ENGLISH COLONY [January, 



tern Port, refembled the bluff bold fhore of an open fea, with a fwell 

 rolling in, and a large furf breaking upon it ; while the fouthern fhore, 

 or what is the coaft of Van Diemen's land, appeared like the inner 

 fhore of a clufter of iflands, whofe outer parts break off the great 

 weight of the fea. The caufe of this is immediately obvious, on re- 

 collecting that the fwell of the Indian ocean enters the ftrait from the 

 fouthward of weft. The greater part of the fouthern fhore lies in a 

 bight, whofe weftern extreme is Hunter's Ifles, and theN.W. cape of 

 Van Diemen's land. Now as the fweli comes from the fouthward, as 

 well as the weftward, it muft, after ftriking upon the north-weft part 

 of the fouthern more, evidently run on in a direction fomewhat dia- 

 gonal with the two fides of the ftrait, until it expands itfelf upon the 

 northern more, where both fwell and furf are found. But to the fouth- 

 ward of this diagonal line the fwell muft quickly take off, and totally 

 difappear, long before it can reach the fhore to make a furf. Hence 

 arifes the difference. 



That the fwell of the Indian ocean comes, by far the greater part 

 of the way, from the fouthward of weft, can hardly be doubted, fince 

 it is well known that prevailing winds are from that quarter. 



Early in the afternoon of the nth, a piece of land flood out from 

 the line of the coaft like an ifland, but was foon found to be joined to 

 the main by a fandy beach. The fhore beyond it looked rugged and 

 craggy, and the land equalled the moft fterile and ftoney that had 

 been feen. 



Towards noon the coaft began to rife into chains of lofty mountains, 

 which ran along in nearly the fame line as the coaft. The latitude 

 was 43 0 07', the longitude 145 0 42'. A large fmoke that got up aftern 

 of the veffel was the firft fign of inhabitants that had been feen upon 

 this weft coaft, the appearance of which was miferably barren. 



At eight in the evening they paffed the S. W. cape of Van Die- 

 men's land, hitherto known as that of New Holland. It is a narrow 

 piece of land, projecting from the higher land at no great diftance, 

 with two flattifh hummocks, that gave it fome little refemblance to 



the 



