We tacked towards the land soon after noon; and being within five miles of it at three o’clock, stood off again. The furthest extreme of the main land was a sloping low point, distant about three leagues; but two or three miles beyond it, to the south, was a small island to which I gave the name of Liguanea. Some of Whidbey’s Isles were still to be distinguished, and the bearings taken just before tacking were as under:
Inner island near Point Avoid, N. 31 deg. W.
Nearest part of the cliffs, E. N. E.
The sloping low point, S. 71 E.
Liguanea Island, highest part, S. 57 E.
At seven in the evening, we came in with the land a little further to windward, and tacked at a mile and a half from a patch of breakers which lie N. 72 deg. W. three or four miles from the sloping low point. This point was still the furthest part of the main land visible, the coast seeming from thence to take a more eastern direction.
FRIDAY 19 FEBRUARY 1802
In the afternoon of the 19th when the wind had returned to the south, we passed to windward of Liguanea Island, and saw it surrounded with many breakers on its south and west sides. The sloping low point was also visible; and three miles further eastward there was a steep head, with two high rocks and one lower near it, of which Mr. Westall made a sketch. (Atlas Plate XVII. View 7.) This projection I named CAPE WILES, after a worthy friend at Liguanea, in Jamaica; it lies in latitude 34 deg. 57’ south, and longitude 135 deg. 381/2’ east. Before dark we got sight of a hill situate upon a projecting cape, thirteen miles to the east-south-east of Cape Wiles, and observed the intermediate coast to form a large bight or bay, which I proposed to examine in the morning; and for that purpose we stood off and on during the night, with the wind from the southward.
SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 1802
At daylight of the 20th the hill on the east side of the bight bore N. 68 deg. E. five or six miles, and an island, named Isle Williams, was seen to lie two miles from it to the south-east. We steered north-west soon afterward, up the bight; but in an hour were able to see the land all round, and that this place, which, I called SLEAFORD BAY, was dangerous with the wind at south-east, as it was then blowing. We therefore braced up, to work out; and at noon, our situation, with that of the surrounding lands, was as follows:
Latitude, observed to the north and south, 35
deg. 2’ 33”
Longitude by time keepers, 135
44
Liguana Isle, the centre nearly, N. 67
W.
Cape Wiles, centre of the cliffs, N. 38
W.
Hill on the east side of Sleaford Bay, N. 77
E.
Isle Williams, E. 2
N.