"He Ran In A Westward Direction Along The Coasts,
Either Of A Continent Or Numerous Islands, For 200 Or 300
Miles, forming
large bays, and abounding with the spermaceti whale, seals, &c. He took
numerous soundings and bearings, draughts and
Charts of the coast." He also
landed and took possession of the country in the name of his sovereign, and
called his acquisition New South Shetland. He represents the climate as
temperate, the coast mountainous, apparently uninhabited, but not destitute
of vegetation, as he observed firs and pines in many places; and on the
whole, the country appeared to him very much like the coast of Norway.
It may seem extraordinary that land of this extent should not have been
discovered by any former navigator; but the surprise will cease, when we
reflect that though Captain Cook penetrated much further to the south than
the latitude of New South Shetland, yet his meridian was 45 degrees farther
to the west, and that he thus left a large expanse of sea unexplored, on
the parallel of 62 deg. between that and Sandwich land, the longitude of which
is 22 deg. west. He indeed likewise reached 67 deg. south latitude: but this was in
longitude from 137 deg. to 147 deg. west. Now the longitude of New South Shetland
being 60 deg. west, it is evident that Captain Cook in his first attempt, left
unexplored the whole extent of longitude from 28 deg., the longitude of
Sandwich land, to 60 deg., the longitude of New South Shetland; and in his
second attempt, he was still further from the position of this new
discovered land.
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