e N.W. before we were blown off. At
noon it bore S.W. distant about three miles; Mount Camel bore S. by E.
distant about eleven leagues, and the westermost land in sight bore S.
75 W.; the latitude by observation was 34 deg. 20' S. At four o'clock, we
tacked and stood in shore, in doing which, we met with a strong
rippling, and the ship fell fast to leeward, which we imputed to a
current setting east. At eight, we tacked and stood off till eight the
next morning; when we tacked and stood in, being about ten leagues from
the land: At noon, the point of land which we were near the day before,
bore S.S.W. distant five leagues. The wind still continued at west; and
at seven o'clock, we tacked in thirty-five fathom, when the point of
land which has been mentioned before, bore N.W. by N. distant four or
five miles; so that we had not gained one inch to windward the last
twenty-four hours, which confirmed our opinion that there was a current
to the eastward. The point of land I called _North Cape_, it being the
northern extremity of this country. It lies in latitude 34 deg. 22' S.
longitude 186 deg. 55' W. and thirty-one leagues distant from Cape Bret, in
the direction of N. 63 W. It forms the north point of Sandy Bay, and is
a peninsula jutting out N.E. about two miles, and terminating in a bluff
head that is flat at the top. The isthmus which joins this head to the
main land is very low, and for that reason the land of the Cape, from
several situations, has the appearance of an island. It is still more
remarkable when it is seen from the southward, by the appearance of a
high round island at the S.E. point of the Cape; but this also is a
deception; for what appears to be an island is a round hill, joined to
the Cape by a low narrow neck of land. Upon the Cape we saw a Hippah or
village, and a few inhabitants; and on the south-east side of it there
appears to be anchorage, and good shelter from the south-west and
north-west winds.

We continued to stand off and on, making N.W. till noon on the 21st,
when North Cape bore S. 39 E. distant thirty-eight leagues. Our
situation varied only a few leagues till the 23d, when, about seven
o'clock in the evening, we saw land from the mast-head, bearing S. 1/2
E. At eleven the next morning, we saw it again, bearing S.S.E. at the
distance of eight leagues: We now stood to the S.W.; and at four
o'clock, the land bore S.E. by S. distant four leagues, and proved to be
a small island, with ot