hen I had got so
near as to discover the low land, I was quite embayed, and if it had
blown hard at S.W. so great a sea must have rolled in here as would have
rendered it almost impossible to claw off the shore; all ships,
therefore, that may hereafter navigate these parts, should avoid falling
in with it. The seals and birds here are innumerable; we saw also many
whales spouting about us, several of which were of an enormous size. Our
latitude now was 51 deg. 27' S. longitude 63 deg. 54' W.; the variation was 23 deg.
30' E. In the evening we brought-to, and at day-break the next morning,
stood in for the north part of the island by the coast of which we had
been embayed: When we had got about four miles to the eastward, it fell
calm, and rained with great violence, during which there arose such a
swell as I never remember to have seen: It came from the westward, and
ran so quick and so high, that I expected every moment it would break:
It set us very fast towards the shore, which is as dangerous as any in
the world, and I could see the surge breaking at some distance from it,
mountains high: Happily for us a fresh gale sprang up at south-east,
with which, to our great joy, we were able to stand off; and if behoves
whoever shall afterwards come this way, to give the north part of this
island a good birth. After I had got to some distance, the weather being
thick, and it raining very hard, I brought-to. Our latitude was now
51 deg.S. and longitude 63 deg. 22' W.

On Monday the 14th, the weather having cleared up, and the wind shifted
to the S.S.W. we steered along the short S.E. by E. four miles, and saw
a low flat island full of high tufts of grass, resembling bushes,
bearing south, at the distance of two or three leagues, the northernmost
land at the same time bearing west, distant about six leagues: We had
here thirty-eight fathom, with rocky ground. We continued our course
along the shore six leagues farther, and then saw a low rocky island
hearing S.E. by E. distant about five miles: Here we brought-to, and
having sounded, we had forty fathom water, with a bottom of white sand.
This island is about three leagues distant from the land we were
coasting, which here forms a very deep bay, and beats E. by N. of the
other island on which we had seen the long tufts of grass: We saw the
sea break at a good distance from the shore, and during the night stood
off and on. The next morning at three o'clock we made sail, and stoo