courses.

Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the weather left us little
prospect of making the land, we still kept this object anxiously in view;
and, at day-light, ventured to steer W. by S., and continued to stand on in
this direction till ten in the forenoon, when the wind, suddenly shifting
to the S.W., brought with it clear weather. Of this we had scarcely taken
advantage, by setting the top-sails, and letting out the reefs, when it
began to blow so strong from this quarter, that we were forced to close-
reef again; and, at noon, the wind shifting two points to the W., rendered
it vain to keep any longer on this tack. We therefore put about, and
steered to the southward. At this time, our latitude, by observation, was
44 deg. 12', and longitude 150 deg. 40'; so that, after all our efforts, we had the
mortification to find ourselves, according to the Russian charts, upon a
meridian with Nadeegsda, which they make the southernmost of the Kurile
Islands, and about twenty leagues to the southward.

But, though the violent and contrary winds we had met with during the last
six days, prevented our getting in with these islands, yet the course we
had been obliged to hold, is not without its geographical advantages. For
the group of islands, consisting of the Three Sisters, Kunashir, and
Zellany, (which, in D'Anville's maps, are placed in the track we had just
crossed,) being, by this means, demonstratively removed from that
situation, an additional proof is obtained of their lying to the westward,
where Spanberg actually places them, between the longitude 142 deg. and 147 deg..
But as the space is occupied, in the French charts, by part of the supposed
land of Jeso and Staten Island, Mr Muller's opinion becomes extremely
probable, that they are all the same lands; and, as no reasons appear for
doubting Spanberg's accuracy, we have ventured, in our general map, to
reinstate the Three Sisters, Zellany, and Kunashir, in their proper
situation, and have entirely omitted the rest. When the reader recollects
the manner in which the Russians have multiplied the islands of the
Northern Archipelago, from the want of accuracy in determining their real
situation, and the desire men naturally feel of propagating new
discoveries, he will not be surprised, that the same causes should produce
the same effects. It is thus that the Jesoian lands, which appear, both
from the accounts of the Japanese, and the earliest Russian traditio