87^ Account the Discovery of New South Shetland, 
a good anchorage. This place, I. in the chart, he called ShirefTs 
Cove, in honour of the Commanding Officer in the Pacific. The 
day drawing to a close, the boat pushed off, the master, with 
the most prudent views, hauling off the shore with his ship. 
The harbour appeared to abound with the real spermaceti whale, 
Physeter macrocephalus, which he says exists there in greater 
abundance than he imagines has ever been elsewhere known : 
that it was the real spermaceti whale he is certain, having him- 
self been brought up in the whale-fishery. Seals and sea-otters 
abounded, as also an animal differing from the sea-otter, which 
I imagine may prove to be a variety of the ornithorynchus. He 
continued to haul off during the night to the northward, to such a 
distance that he could just keep the cape in sight to the southward. 
Next morning at day-break, he could perceive the land marked 
F in the chart, trend in a S. E. direction. At 11 A. M. the 
Foreland bore S. E. by E. 5 leagues distant. Keeping his course 
to southward and westward, still preserving the mainland in 
view, the several other islands called Nelson’s Isles, H, all ap- 
peared to be distant from it about 3 leagues. The islands were 
all alike barren and rocky. To one of the largest, marked G 
in the chart, he gave the name of Lloyd’s Island ; the main- 
land, however, was very considerably higher. The wind chan- 
ging to the eastward, attended with thick squalls of snow, he 
thought it prudent (always having the safety of his cargo as his 
primary consideration) to haul off. The weather moderating, he 
made the point of land which he called Cape Williams, C ; at 
that time the atmosphere was quite clear, and wdth a telescope 
he could most distinctly perceive trees, which bore the resem- 
blance of Norway pine, and which seemed to grow to a toler- 
able height : Indeed, he describes the whole, appearance of 
the land, the structure and shape of the hills, the quantity of 
snow, the appearance and quantity of ice about the coast, as 
being more like the Norwegian coast than any land he ever saw. 
His course hence was S. W.j but the weather becoming thick 
and squally, he began to abandon all thoughts of exploring the 
coast farther. He had now clearly ascertained the existence 
and situation of the land for the length of 150 miles in a W. S. W. 
direction so satisfactorily, as to remove the doubts of the most 
sceptical ; and considering that no curiosity could justify his 
