At day-break on the 16th, we discovered land bearing S. by W. and seemingly detached from the coast we were upon.  About eight, a breeze sprung up, at N. by E. and we steered directly for it.  At noon, we were in latitude 43 deg. 19’ S. the peak on the snowy mountain bore N. 20 E. distant twenty-seven leagues; the southern extremity of the land we could see bore west, and the land which had been discovered in the morning appeared like an island extending from S.S.W. to S.W. by W. 1/2 W. distant about eight leagues.  In the afternoon, we stood to the southward of it, with a fresh breeze at north:  At eight in the evening, we had run eleven leagues, and the land then extended from S.W. by W. to N. by W. We were then distant about three or four leagues from the nearest shore, and in this situation had fifty fathom water, with a fine sandy bottom.  The variation of the compass by this morning’s amplitude was 14 deg. 39’ E.

At sun-rise, the next morning, our opinion that the land we had been standing for was an island, was confirmed, by our seeing part of the land of Tovy Poenammoo open to the westward of it, extending as far as W. by S. At eight in the morning, the extremes of the island bore N. 76 W. and N.N.E. 1/2 E.; and an opening near the south point, which had the appearance of a bay or harbour, N. 20 W. distant between three and four leagues:  In this situation we had thirty-eight fathom water, with a brown sandy bottom.

This island, which I named after Mr Banks, lies about five leagues from the coast of Tovy Poenamoo; the south point bears S. 21 W. from the highest peak on the snowy mountain, and lies in latitude 43 deg. 32’ S. and in longitude 186 deg. 30’ W. by an observation of the sun and moon which was made this morning:  It is of a circular figure, and about twenty-four leagues in compass:  It is sufficiently high to be seen at the distance of twelve or fifteen leagues, and the land has a broken irregular surface, with the appearance rather of barrenness than fertility; yet it was inhabited, for we saw smoke in one place, and a few straggling natives in another.

When this island was first discovered in the direction of S. by W. some persons on board were of opinion that they also saw land bearing S.S.E. and S.E. by E. I was myself upon the deck at the time, and told them, that in my opinion it was no more than a cloud, and that as the sun rose it would dissipate and vanish.  However, as I was determined to leave no subject for disputation which experiment could remove, I ordered the ship to be wore, and steered E.S.E. by compass, in the direction which the land was said to bear from us at that time.  At noon, we were in latitude 44 deg. 7’ S.; the south point of Banks’s Island bearing north, distant five leagues.  By seven o’clock at night we had run eight-and-twenty miles, when seeing no land, nor any signs of any, but that which we had left, we bore away S. by W. and continued upon that course till the next day at noon, when we