400 
A VOYAGE TO 
1779. open in the ftern, it would not have been pofiible for thofe 
we faw, to have furvived the fury of this ftorm ; but, as the 
appearance of the weather, all the preceding part of the 
day, foretold its coming, and one of the Hoops had, not- 
withftanding, hood far out to fea, we may fafely conclude, 
that they are perfectly capable of bearing a gale of wind. 
Spanberg indeed defcribes two kinds of Japanefe veffels; 
one anfwering to the above defcription of* Ksempfer; the 
other, which he calls buffes, and in which, he fays, they 
make their voyages to the neighbouring illands, exaddy 
correfponds with thofe we faw A 
At eight in the evening, the gale drifted to the Weft, with¬ 
out abating the leaf: in violence, and by raidng a fudden 
dwell, in a contrary direction to that which prevailed before, 
occaf oned the fhips to ftrain and labour exceedingly. Dur¬ 
ing the ftorm, feveral of the fails were fplit on board the 
Refolution, Indeed they had been fo long bent, and were 
•worn fo thin, that this accident had of late happened to us 
almoft daily, in both fhips; efpecially when, being ftiff 
and heavy with the rain, they became lefs able to bear the 
fhocks of the violent and variable winds we at this time 
experienced. The gale at length growing moderate, and 
fettling to the Weft, we kept upon a wind to the Southward; 
Saturday 30. and at nine in the morning of the 30th, we faw the land, 
at the diftance of about fifteen leagues, bearing from Weft 
by North to North Weft one quarter Weft. It appeared in' 
detached parts; but whether they were fmall iflands, or 
parts of Japan, our diftance did not enable us to determine. 
At noon, it extended from North Weft to Weft, the neareft 
land being about thirteen leagues diftant, beyond which 
the coaft feemed to run in a Wefterly direction. The lati- 
* Vide Muller, Fr. ed. page 2x5. 
tude, 
