iles: Cape Cleaveland bore S. 50 E.
distant eighteen leagues. Our soundings, in the course that we had
sailed between this time and the preceding noon, were from fourteen to
eleven fathom.

In the afternoon, we saw several large columns of smoke upon the main;
we saw also some people and canoes, and upon one of the islands what had
the appearance of cocoa-nut trees: As a few of these nuts would now have
been very acceptable, I sent Lieutenant Hicks ashore, and with him went
Mr Banks and Dr Solander, to see what refreshment could be procured,
while I kept standing in for the island with the ship. About seven
o'clock in the evening they returned, with an account that what we had
taken for cocoa-nut trees, were a small kind of cabbage-palm, and that,
except about fourteen or fifteen plants, they had met with nothing worth
bringing away. While they were ashore, they saw none of the people, but
just as they had put off, one of them came very near the beach, and
shouted with a loud voice; it was so dark that they could not see him,
however they turned towards the shore, but when he heard the boat
putting back, he ran away or hid himself, for they could not get a
glimpse of him, and though, they shouted he made no reply. After the
return of the boats, we stood away N. by W. for the northermost land in
sight, of which we were abreast at three o'clock in the morning, having
passed all the islands three or four hours before. This land, on account
of its figure, I named _Point Hillock_: It is of a considerable height,
and may be known by a round hillock, or rock, which joins to the Point,
but appears to be detached from it. Between this Cape and Magnetical
Isle the shore forms a large bay, which I called _Halifax Bay_: Before
it lay the group of islands which has been just mentioned, and some
others, at a less distance from the shore. By these islands the Bay is
sheltered from all winds, and it affords good anchorage. The land near
the beach, in the bottom of the Bay, is low and woody, but farther back
it is one continued ridge of high land, which appeared to be barren and
rocky. Having passed Point Hillock, we continued standing to the N.N.W.
as the land trended, having the advantage of a light moon. At six, we
were abreast of a point of land which lies N. by W. 1/2 W., distant
eleven miles from Point Hillock, which I named _Cape Sandwich_. Between
these two points the land is very high, and the surface is craggy and
barren. Cape