into it; for the land about it is utterly barren and desolate, and, except Mount Camel, the situation is low:  The soil appears to be nothing but white sand, thrown up in low irregular hills and narrow ridges, lying parallel with the shore.  But barren and desolate as this place is, it is not without inhabitants:  We saw one village on the west side of Mount Camel, and another on the east side:  We saw also five canoes full of people, who pulled after the ship, but could not come up with us.  At nine o’clock, we tacked and stood to the northward; and at noon, the Cavalles bore S.E. by E. distant thirteen leagues; the north extremity of the land in sight, making like an island, bore N.W. 1/4 N. distant nine leagues; and Mount Camel bore S.W. by S. distance six leagues.

The wind being contrary, we kept plying northward till five o’clock in the evening of the 12th, when, having made very little way, we tacked and stood to the N.E. being two leagues to the northward of Mount Camel, and about a mile and a half from the shore, in which situation we had two-and-twenty fathom water.

At ten, it began to blow and rain, which brought us under double-reefed topsails; at twelve we tacked and stood to the westward till seven the next morning, when we tacked and stood again to the N.E. being about a mile to windward of the place where we tacked last night.  Soon after it blew very hard at N.N.W. with heavy squalls and much rain, which brought us under our courses, and split the maintop-sail; so that we were obliged to unbend it and bend another:  At ten it became more moderate, and we set the top-sails, double-reefed.  At noon, having strong gales and heavy weather, we tacked and stood to the westward, and had no land in sight for the first time since we had been upon this coast.

We had now strong gales at W. and W.S.W.; and at half an hour past three we tacked and stood to the northward.  Soon after, a small island lying off Knuckle Point bore S. 1/2 W. distant half a league.  In the evening, having split the fore and mizen topsails, we brought the ship under her courses; and at midnight we wore, and stood to the southward till five in the morning; when we tacked and stood to the N.W. and saw land bearing south, at the distance of eight or nine leagues; by this we discovered that we had fallen much to the leeward since yesterday morning.  At noon, our latitude by observation was 34 deg. 6’ S.; and the same land which we had seen before to the N.W. now bore S.W. and appeared to be the northern extremity of the country.  We had a large swell rolling in from the westward, and therefore concluded that we were not covered by any land in that quarter.  At eight in the evening, we tacked and stood to the westward, with as much sail as we could bear; and at noon the next day, we were in latitude 34 deg. 10’, longitude 186 deg. 45’ W. and by estimation about seventeen leagues from the land, notwithstanding our utmost endeavours to keep in with it.