her islands or rocks, still smaller, lying off
the south-west end of it, and another lying off the north-east end,
which were discovered by Tasman, and called the Three Kings. The
principal island lies in latitude 34 deg. 12' S. longitude 187 deg. 48' W. and
distant fourteen or fifteen leagues from North Cape, in the direction of
W. 14 N. At midnight, we tacked and stood to the N.E. till six the next
morning, which was Christmas day, when we tacked and stood to the
southward. At noon, the Three Kings bore E. 8 N. distant five or six
leagues. The variation this morning by the azimuth was 11 deg. 25' E.
On the 26th, we stood to the southward close upon a wind; and at noon,
were in latitude 35 deg. 10' S longitude 188 deg. 20' W. the Three Kings bearing
N. 26 W. distant twenty-two leagues. In this situation we had no land in
sight; and yet, by observation, we were in the latitude of the Bay of
Islands; and by my reckoning but twenty leagues to the westward of North
Cape: From whence it appears, that the northern part of this island is
very narrow; for otherwise we must have seen some part of the west side
of it. We stood to the southward till twelve at night, and then tacked
and stood to the northward.
At four o'clock in the morning, the wind freshened, and at nine blew a
storm; so that we were obliged to bring the ship to under her mainsail.
Our course made good between noon this day and yesterday was S.S.W. 1/2
W. distance eleven miles. The Three Kings bore N. 27 E. distant
seventy-seven miles. The gale continued all this day, and till two the
next morning, when it fell, and began to veer to the southward and S.W.
where it fixed about four, when we made sail and steered east in for
the land, under the fore-sail and main-sail; but the wind then rising,
and by eight o'clock being increased to a hurricane, with a prodigious
sea, we were obliged to take in the main-sail; we then wore the ship,
and brought her to with her head to the north west. At noon the gale was
somewhat abated, but we had still heavy squalls. Our course made good
this day, was north, a little easterly, twenty-nine miles; latitude by
account 34 deg. 50' S. longitude 188 deg. 27' W.; the Three Kings bore N. 41 E.
distant fifty-two miles. At seven o'clock in the evening, the wind being
at S.W. and S.W. by W. with hard squalls, we wore and lay on the other
tack; and at six the next morning spread more sail. Our course and
distance since yesterday was E. by
|