240 
A VOYAGE TO 
.1779. Notwithftanding we faw fhags in the forenoon, which are 
fuppofed never to go far from land, yet there was no ap¬ 
pearance of it this day ; but on the 28th, at fix in the morn¬ 
ing, we got fight of it to the North Weft. The coaft fhews 
itfelf in hills of a moderate height; but inland, others are 
feen to rife considerably. We could obferve no wood, and 
the fnow lying upon them in patches, gave the whole a 
very barren appearance. At nine, we were about ten 
miles from the fhore, the Southern extremity bearing 
Weft by South, fix leagues diftant, beyond which the coaft 
appeared to trend to the Weft ward. This point being in 
latitude 6i° 48', longitude 174 0 48", lies, according to the 
Ruffian charts, near the mouth of the river Opuka. At 
the fame time, the Northern extreme bore North by Weft; 
between which and a hill bearing North Weft by Weft a 
quarter Weft, and at this diftance appearing to us like an 
illand, the coaft feemed to bend to the Weft ward, and form 
a deep bay. 
About eight miles from land, we perceived ourfelves in a 
ftrong rippling; and being apprehenftve of foul ground, we 
bore away to the North Eaft, along the fhore; notwithftand¬ 
ing, on heaving the lead, we found regular foundings of 
twenty-four fathoms, over a gravelly bottom; from whence 
we concluded, that this appearance was occaftoned by a tide, 
at that time running to the Southward. At noon, the ex¬ 
tremes of the land bearing Weft South Weft three-quarters 
Weft, and North North Eaft three-quarters Eaft, diftant from 
the neareft fhore four leagues, we were abreaft of the low 
land, which we now perceived to join the two points, where 
we had before expefted to find a deep bay. The coaft bends 
a little to the Weftward, and has a fmall inlet, which may 
probably be the mouth of fome trifling ftream. Our lati¬ 
tude, 
* 
