appearance, often observed near ships at sea in the night. On the same
day two large birds settled on the water, near the ship. One of these
was the _procellaria maxima_ (the _quebrantahuessos_), and the
other, which was little more than half the size, seemed to be of the
_albatross_ kind. The upper part of the wings, and tip of the tail,
were black, with the rest white; the bill yellowish; upon the whole
not unlike the sea-gull, though larger.

On the 6th at noon, being in the latitude of 44 deg. 10' N., and the
longitude of 234-1/2 deg. E., we saw two seals and several whales; and at
day-break the next morning, the long-looked-for coast of New Albion[2]
was seen, extending from N.E. to S.E., distant ten or twelve leagues.
At noon our latitude was 44 deg. 33' N., and our longitude 235 deg. 20' E.;
and the land extended from N.E. 1/2 N. to S.E. by S. about eight
leagues distant. In this situation we had seventy-three fathoms water,
over a muddy bottom, and about a league farther off found ninety
fathoms. The land appeared to be of a moderate height, diversified
with hills and valleys, and almost every where covered with wood.
There was, however, no very striking object on any part of it, except
one hill, whose elevated summit was flat. This bore E. from us at
noon. At the northern extreme the land formed a point, which I called
_Cape Foulweather_, from the very bad weather that we soon after met
with. I judge it to lie in the latitude of 44 deg. 55' N., and in the
longitude of 235 deg. 54' E.

[Footnote 2: This part of the west side of North America was so named
by Sir Francis Drake.--D.]

We had variable light airs and calms till eight o'clock in the
evening, when a breeze sprung up at S.W. With it I stood to the N.W.,
under an easy sail, waiting for day-light, to range along the coast.
But at four, next morning, the wind shifted to N.W., and blew in
squalls, with rain. Our course was N.E. till near ten o'clock, when,
finding that I could make no progress on this tack, and seeing
nothing like a harbour, I tacked, and stood off S.W. At this time Cape
Foulweather bore N.E. by N. about eight leagues distant. Toward noon
the wind veered more to the westward, and the weather became fair
and clear; so that we were enabled to make lunar observations. Having
reduced all those that we had made since the 19th of last month to
the present ones, by the time-keeper, amounting in the whole to
seventy-two sets, their mean result