y, with now and then sunshine, till the
afternoon of the 22d, when the wind came round to the S.E., and, as
usual, brought thick rainy weather. Before the fog came on, no part of
the main land was in sight, except the volcano, and another mountain
close by it. I continued to steer W. till seven in the evening, when,
being apprehensive of falling in with the land in thick weather, we
hauled the wind to the southward, till two o'clock next morning,
and then bore away W. We made but little progress, having the wind
variable, and but little of it, till at last it fixed in the western
board, and at five in the afternoon, having a gleam of sunshine, we
saw land bearing N. 59 deg. W., appearing in hillocks like islands.

At six in the morning of the 24th, we got a sight of the continent,
and at nine it was seen extending from N.E. by E. to S.W. by W. 1/2
W., the nearest part about four leagues distant. The land to the
S.W. proved to be islands, the same that had been seen the preceding
evening. But the other was a continuation of the continent, without
any islands to obstruct our view of it. In the evening, being about
four leagues from the shore, in forty-two fathoms water, having little
or no wind, we had recourse to our hooks and lines, but only two or
three small cod were caught.

The next morning we got a breeze easterly, and what was uncommon with
this wind, clear weather, so that we not only saw the volcano, but
other mountains, both to the east and west of it, and all the coast
of the main land under them, much plainer than at any time before. It
extended from N.E. by N. to N.W. 1/2 W., where it seemed to terminate.
Between this point and the islands without it, there appeared a large
opening, for which I steered, till we raised land beyond it. This
land, although we did not perceive that it joined the continent, made
a passage through the opening very doubtful. It also made it doubtful,
whether the land which we saw to the S.W., was insular or continental,
and, if the latter, it was obvious that the opening would be a deep
bay or inlet, from which, if once we entered it with an easterly wind,
it would not be so easy to get out. Not caring, therefore, to trust
too much to appearances, I steered to the southward. Having thus got
without all the land in sight, I then steered west, in which direction
the islands lay, for such we found this land to be.

By eight o'clock we had passed three of them, all of a good height.