East Coast, Sf V. D.'s Land.] INTRODUCTION. clxxvii 
southward is more irregular in its trending, is of somewhat greater fenders 
elevation, and not so destitute of wood as on the north side of the 
point. At the distance of three leagues we passed a cliffy head, 
with high rocks lying a mile from it; and two leagues further, there 
were some patches of breakers two miles off the shore: the general 
trending was between S. by E. and S. S. E. 
At ten o'clock, a projection which merited the name of Rocky Point 
bore S. 74°E., five miles ; and here the direction of the coast was 
changed to east, for near seven miles, when it formed a bight by 
again trending south-eastward. The shore round the bight is high, 
and at the back were several bare peaks which, from their whiteness, 
might have been thought to be covered with snow ; but their greatest 
elevation of perhaps 1200 feet, combined with the height of the 
thermometer at 6V, did not admit the supposition. These peaks 
are probably what Tasman named De Witt's Isles, from his distance 
having been too far off to distinguish the connecting land ; and I 
therefore called the highest of them, lying in 43 0 gi' south, Mount 
De Witt. 
This morning, two sets of distances of the sun west of the moon 
were observed, and our situation at noon was as follows : 
Latitude, - - - _ _ 43 7 S. 
Longitude from the lunar observations, - 145 16 E. 
Rocky Point, distant six or seven miles, - N. 3 W. 
Mount De Witt, - - - S. 77 E. 
Highest of two smaller hills, at the S. extreme, S. 59 E. 
It afterwards appeared, that these smaller hills stood upon the ex- 
tremity of a point ; and in honour of the noble admiral with whose 
victory we had become acquainted, it was named Point St. Vincent. 
The western breeze died away in the evening, and the sloop was 
drifted in by the swell, and perhaps by a tide, towards an open- 
ing round Point St. Vincent. This opening is indicated in the small 
chart which accompanies the voyage of M. Marion, but does not 
appear to have been seen by any other navigator. Our bearings of the 
vol 1. A a 
