The
Nearer We Came To These Shoals, The More We Saw Of Them, And We Were Not
Able To Say If There Was Any Passage Between The Two Lands.
Being now but a few miles to windward of the low isles lying off the
Foreland, mentioned on the 25th and 26th, I bore down to the one next to
us.
As we drew near it, I perceived that it was unconnected with the
neighbouring shoals, and that it is probable we might get to an anchor
under its lee or west side. We therefore stood on, being conducted by an
officer at the mast-head; and after hauling round the point of the reef
which surrounds the isle, we attempted to ply to windward, in order to get
nearer the shore. Another reef to the north confined us to a narrow
channel, through which ran a current against us, that rendered this attempt
fruitless; so that we were obliged to anchor in thirty-nine fathoms water,
the bottom fine coral sand; the isle bearing W. by N. one mile distant. As
soon as this was done, we hoisted out a boat, in which I went on ashore,
accompanied by the botanists. We found the tall trees to be a kind of
spruce pine, very proper for spars, of which we were in want. After making
this discovery, I hastened on board in order to have more time after
dinner, when I landed again with two boats, accompanied by several of the
officers and gentlemen, having with us the carpenter and some of his crew,
to cut down such trees as were wanting. While this was doing I took the
bearings of several lands round. The hill on the Isle of Pines bore
S. 59 30' E; the low point of Queen Charlotte's Foreland N. 14 deg. 30' W.; the
high land over it, seen over two low isles, N. 20 deg. W.; and the most
advanced point of land to the west, bore west, half a point south, distant
six or seven leagues. We had, from several bearings, ascertained the true
direction of the coast from the foreland to this point, which I shall
distinguish by the name of Prince of Wales's Foreland. It is situated in
the latitude of 22 deg. 29' S., longitude 166 deg. 57' E., is of considerable
height, and, when it first appears above the horizon, looks like an island.
From this cape, the coast trended nearly N.W. This was rather too northerly
a direction to join that part which we saw from the hills of Balade. But as
it was very high land which opened off the cape in that direction, it is
very probable that lower land, which we could not see, opened sooner; or
else the coast more to the N.W. takes a more westerly direction, in the
same manner as the N.E. coast. Be this as it may, we pretty well know the
extent of the land, by having it confined within certain limits.
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