THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
395 
which, by noon of the 25th, brought us to the latitude of 1779. 
40° 18', in the longitude 144 0 o'. To-day we faw flights of 
wild ducks, a pigeon lighted on our rigging, and many Monday 2S . 
birds, like linnets, flew about us with a degree of vigour 
that feemed to prove, they had not been long upon the 
wing. We alfo pafled patches of long grafs, and a piece 
either of fugar-cane or bamboo. Thefe figns, that land 
was at no great diftance, induced us to try for foundings ; 
but we found no ground with ninety fathoms of line. To- 
ward evening, the wind by degrees fhifted round to the 
South, with which we ftill kept on to the Weft South Weft; 
and at day-break of the :26th, we had the pleafure of de- Tuefda y 2§ » 
fcrying high land to the Weft ward, which proved to be 
Japan. At eight, it extended from North Weft to South 
by Weft, diftant three or four leagues. A low flat cape 
bore North Weft three-quarters Weft, and feemed to make 
the South part of the entrance of a bay. Toward the South 
extreme, a conical fhaped hill bore South by Weft three- 
quarters Weft. To the Northward of this hill there ap¬ 
peared to be a very deep inlet, the North fide of the en¬ 
trance into which is formed by a low point of land, and, 
' as well as we could judge by our glafles, has a fmall ifland 
near it to the Southward. 
We flood on till nine, when we were within two leagues 
of the land, bearing Weft three-quarters South, and had 
foundings of fifty-eight fathoms, with a bottom of very 
fine fand. We now tacked and flood off; but the wind 
dying away, at noon we had got no farther than three 
leagues from the coaft, which extended from North Weft 
by North three-quarters Weft, to South half Eaft, and was, 
for the moft part, bold and cliffy. The low cape to the 
Northward bore North Weft by Weft, fix leagues diftant; 
3 E 2 and 
