erable
height, situated in the latitude of 54 deg. 46' S., longitude 63 deg. 47' W.,
with a rocky islet lying close under the north part of it. To the
westward of the cape, about five or six miles, is an inlet, which seemed
to divide the land, that is, to communicate with the sea to the south;
and between this inlet and the cape is a bay, but I cannot say of what
depth. In sailing round the cape we met with a very strong current from
the south: It made a race which looked like breakers; and it was as much
as we could do, with a strong gale, to make head against it.[6]

[Footnote 6: Captain Krusenstern, as has been noticed in vol. 12, page
413, verified Cook's longitude of Cape St John, having found it to agree
exactly with that pointed out by the watches on board his consort the
Neva, which differed but a few minutes from those in his own
vessel.--E.]

After getting round the cape, I hauled up along the south coast, and as
soon as we had brought the wind to blow off the land, it came upon us in
such heavy squalls as obliged us to double-reef our top-sails. It
afterwards fell, by little and little, and at noon ended in a calm. At
this time Cape St John bore N. 20 deg. E., distant three and a half leagues;
Cape St Bartholomew, or the S.W. point of Staten Land, S. 83 deg. W.; two
high detached rocks N. 80 deg. W.; and the place where the land seemed to be
divided, which had the same appearance on this side, bore N. 15 deg. W.
three leagues distant. Latitude observed 54 deg. 56'. In this situation we
sounded, but had no bottom with a line of 120 fathoms. The calm was of
very short duration, a breeze presently springing up at N.W.; but it was
too faint to make head against the current, and we drove with it back to
the N.N.E. At four o'clock the wind veered, at once, to S. by E., and
blew in squalls attended with rain. Two hours after, the squalls and
rain subsided, and the wind returning back to the west, blew a gentle
gale. All this time the current set us to the north, so that, at eight
o'clock, Cape St John bore W.N.W., distant about seven leagues. I now
gave over plying, and steered S.E., with a resolution to leave the land;
judging it to be sufficiently explored to answer the most general
purposes of navigation and geography.[7]

[Footnote 7: The very intelligent officer mentioned in the preceding
note, seems to have been very materially benefited by the observations
of Captain Cook, in navigating this quarter, and do