a black ouse, and at 2 P.M. it bore N.N.W. 8 leagues distant, when Cape Misurado bore E. by S. Here the current sets E.S.E. along shore, and at midnight we had 26 fathoms on black ouse.  The 18th in the morning we were athwart a land much resembling Cabo Verde, about 9 leagues beyond Cape Misurado.  It is a saddle-backed hill, and there are four or five one after the other; and 7 leagues farther south we saw a row of saddle-backed hills, all the land from Cape Misurado having many mountains.  The 19th we were off Rio de Sestos, and the 20th Cape Baixos was N. by W. 4 leagues distant.  In the afternoon a canoe came off with three negroes from a place they called Tabanoo.  Towards evening we were athwart an island, and saw many small islands or rocks to the southward, the current setting from the south.  We sounded and had 35 fathoms.  The 21st we had a flat hill bearing N.N.E. being 4 leagues from shore; and at 2 P.M. we spoke a French ship riding near a place called Ratere, there being another place hard bye called Crua[309].  The Frenchman carried a letter from us on shore for Mr Newton; and as we lay to while writing the letter, the current set us a good space along shore to the S.S.E.  The 25th we were in the bight of a bay to the west of Cape Three-points, the current setting E.N.E.  The 31st January we were off the middle part of Cape Three-points at 7 in the morning, the current setting to the E. Saturday 1st February we were off a round foreland, which I considered to be the easternmost part of Cape Three-points, within which foreland was a great bay and an island in the bay.

[Footnote 309:  Krou Sestra, nearly in lat. 5 deg.  N.]

The 2nd February we were off the castle of Mina; and when the third glass of the watch was run out, we spied under our larboard quarter one of their boats with some negroes and one Portuguese, who would not come on board.  Over the castle upon some high rocks, we saw what we thought to be two watch houses, which were very white.  At this time our course was E.N.E.  The 4th in the morning we were athwart a great hill, behind which within the land were other high rugged hills, which I reckoned were little short of Monte Redondo, at which time I reckoned we were 20 leagues E.N.E. from the castle of Mina; and at 11 o’clock A.M.  I saw two hills within the land, 7 leagues by estimation beyond the former hills.  At this place there is a bay, having another hill at its east extremity, beyond which the land is very low.  We went this day E. N E. and E. by N. 22 leagues, and then E. along shore.  The 6th we were short of Villa Longa, and there we met a Portuguese caravel.  The 7th, being a fair temperate day, we rode all day before Villa Longa, whence we sailed on the 8th, and 10 leagues from thence we anchored again, and remained all night in 10 fathoms water.  The 9th we sailed again, all along the shore being clothed with thick woods, and in the afternoon we were athwart a river[310], to the eastward of which a little