At eight o’clock the next morning, we were about five leagues from the land, and off a place which lies in latitude 86 deg. 25’, and had the appearance of a bay or inlet.  It bore east; and in order to see more of it, we kept on our course till eleven o’clock, when we were not more than three leagues from it, and then discovered that it was neither inlet nor bay, but a tract of low land, bound by higher lands on each side, which produced the deception.  At this time, we tacked and stood to the N.W.; and at noon, the land was not distant more than three or four leagues.  We were now in latitude 36 deg. 31’ S. longitude 185 deg. 50’ W. Cape Maria bore N. 25 W. distant forty-four leagues, and a half; so that the coast must be almost straight in the direction of S.S.E. 3/4 E. and N.N.W. 3/4 W. nearly.  In about latitude 35 deg. 45’ is some high land adjoining to the sea; to the southward of which the shore is also high, and has the most desolate and inhospitable appearance that can be imagined.  Nothing is to be seen but hills of sand, on which there is scarcely a blade of verdure; and a vast sea, impelled by the westerly winds, breaking upon it in a dreadful surf, renders it not only forlorn, but frightful; complicating the idea of danger with desolation, and impressing the mind at once with a sense of misery and death.  From this place I steered to the northward, resolving never more to come within the same distance of the coast, except the wind should be very favourable indeed.  I stood under a fresh sail all the day, hoping to get an offing by the next noon, and we made good a course of a hundred and two miles N. 38 W. Our latitude by observation was 35 deg. 10’S.; and Cape Maria bore N. 10 E. distance forty-one miles.  In the night, the wind shifted from S.W. by S. to S. and blew fresh.  Our course to the noon of the 5th was N. 75 W. distance eight miles.

At day-break on the 6th, we saw the land which we took to be Cape Maria, bearing N.N.E. distant eight or nine leagues:  And on the 7th, in the afternoon, the land bore east:  And some time after we discovered a turtle upon the water; but being awake, it dived instantly, so that we could not take it.  At noon, the high land, which has just been mentioned, extended from N. to E. at the distance of five or six leagues; and in two places, a flat gave it the appearance of a bay or inlet.  The course that we made good the last four-and-twenty hours was S. 33 E. fifty-three miles; Cape Maria bearing N. 25 W. distant thirty leagues.

We sailed within sight of land all this day, with gentle gales between the N.E. and N.W.; and by next noon had sailed sixty-nine miles, in the direction of S. 37 E.; our latitude, by observation was 36 deg. 39’ S. The land which on the 4th we had taken for a bay, now bore N.E. by N. distant five leagues and a half; and Cape Maria N. 29 W. forty-seven leagues.