hes of rock-weed,
for which the vicinity of New Zealand sufficiently accounted. The wind
being at north-east prevented our near approach to these isles; so that
we were not less than three leagues distant in passing to the southward
of them. The weather was too thick to see distinctly: their extent was
only 3 1/2 miles from east to west and about half a league from north to
south: their number including the smaller ones was thirteen. I could not
observe any verdure on any of them: there were white spots like patches
of snow but, as Captain Cook, in describing the land of New Zealand, near
Cape South, says, in many places there are patches like white marble, it
is probable that what we saw might be of the same kind as what he had
observed. The westernmost of these islands is the largest; they are of
sufficient height to be seen at the distance of seven leagues from a
ship's deck. When the easternmost bore north I tried for soundings, being
then 10 miles distant from the nearest of them, and found bottom at 75
fathoms, a fine white sand: and again at noon, having run six leagues
more to the east-south-east, we had soundings at 104 fathoms, a fine
brimstone-coloured sand. The latitude of these islands is 47 degrees 44
minutes south; their longitude 179 degrees 7 minutes east, which is about
145 leagues to the east of the Traps, near the south end of New Zealand.
Variation of the compass here 17 degrees east. While in sight of the
islands we saw some penguins, and a white kind of gull with a forked
tail. Captain Cook's track in 1773 was near this spot, but he did not see
the islands: he saw seals and penguins hereabouts, but considered New
Zealand to be the nearest land. I have named them after the ship the
Bounty Isles.

Sunday 21.

This day we saw a seal, some rock-weed, and a great many albatrosses. I
tried for soundings but found no bottom at 230 fathoms depth. Our
latitude 47 degrees 32 minutes south, longitude 182 degrees 36 minutes
east.

October. Thursday 2.

Were in 40 degrees 27 minutes south latitude and 214 degrees 4 minutes
east longitude. It being calm, and a number of small blubbers about the
ship, I took up some in a bucket, but I saw no difference between them
and the common blubbers in the West Indies. We frequently in the
night-time observed the sea to be covered with luminous spots caused by
prodigious quantities of small blubbers that, from the strings which
extend from them, emit a light like the