that a south-easterly wind was here
generally, if not always, accompanied by a thick fog, I was afraid to
venture through between the island and the continent, lest the passage
should not be accomplished before night, or before the thick weather
came on, when we should be obliged to anchor, and by that means lose
the advantage of a fair wind. These reasons induced me to stretch out
to sea, and we passed two or three rocky islets that lie near the east
end of Trinity Island. At four in the afternoon, having weathered the
island, we tacked, and steered west-southerly, with a fresh gale at
S.S.E., which, before midnight, veered to the S.E., and was, as usual,
attended with misty, drizzling, rainy weather.

By the course we steered all night, I was in hopes of falling in with
the continent in the morning. And, doubtless, we should have seen it,
had the weather been in the least clear, but the fog prevented. Seeing
no land at noon, and the gale increasing, with a thick fog and rain, I
steered W.N.W., under such sail as we could easily haul the wind with,
being fully sensible of the danger of running before a strong gale
in a thick fog, in the vicinity of an unknown coast. It was, however,
necessary to run some risk when the wind favoured us; for clear
weather, we had found, was generally accompanied with winds from the
west.

Between two and three in the afternoon, land was seen through the fog,
bearing N.W., not more than three or four miles distant. Upon this,
we immediately hauled up south, close to the wind. Soon after, the two
courses were split, so that we had others to bring to the yards, and
several others of our sails received considerable damage. At nine, the
gale abated, the weather cleared up, and we lost sight of the coast
again, extending from W. by S. to N.W., about four or five leagues
distant. On sounding, we found a hundred fathoms water, over a muddy
bottom. Soon after, the fog returned, and we saw no more of the land
all night.

At four next morning, the fog being now dispersed, we found ourselves
in a manner surrounded by land; the continent, or what was supposed
to be the continent, extending from W.S.W. to N.E. by N., and some
elevated land bearing S.E. 1/2 S., by estimation eight or nine leagues
distant. The N.E. extreme of the main was the same point of land that
we had fallen in with during the fog, and we named it _Foggy Cape_. It
lies in latitude 56 deg. 31'. At this time, having had but little