A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 794 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 794 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13.
two miles to the northward of it, having a boat all the way ahead sounding; our depth of water was still very irregular, from twenty-two to eight fathom.  At half an hour after six, we anchored in thirteen fathom:  The northermost of the small islands seen at noon bore W. 1/2 S., distant three miles:  These islands, which I distinguished by the name of Forbes’s Islands, lie about five leagues from the main, which here forms a high point that we called Bolt Head, from which the land trends more westerly, and is in that direction all low and sandy; to the southward it is high and hilly even near the sea.

At six in the morning we got again under sail, and steered for an island which lay at a small distance from the main, and at this time bore from us N. 40 W., distant about five leagues:  Our course was soon interrupted by shoals; however, by the help of the boats, and a good look-out from the top of the mast, we got into a fair channel that led us down to the island, between a very large shoal on our starboard side and several small ones towards the main:  In this channel we had from twenty to thirty fathom water.  Between eleven and twelve o’clock we hauled round the north-east side of the island, leaving it between us and the main, from which it is distant about seven or eight miles.  This island is about a league in circuit, and we saw upon it five of the natives, two of whom had lances in their hands; they came down upon a point, and having looked a little while at the ship, retired.  To the N.W. of it are several low islands and quays, which lie not far from the main; and to the northward and eastward are several other islands and shoals; so that we were now encompassed on every side:  But having lately been exposed to much greater danger, and rocks and shoals being grown familiar, we looked at them comparatively with little concern.  The main land appeared to be low and barren, interspersed with large patches of the very fine white sand, which we had found upon Lizard Island and different parts of the main.  The boats had seen many turtle upon the shoals which they passed, but it blew too hard for them to take any.  At noon, our latitude by observation was 12 deg., and our longitude 217 deg. 25’:  Our depth of water was fourteen fathom; and our course and distance, reduced to a straight line, was, between this time and the preceding noon, N. 29 W. thirty-two miles.

The main land within the islands that have been just mentioned forms a point, which I called Cape Grenville:  It lies in latitude 11 deg. 58’, longitude 217 deg. 38’; and between it and Bolt Head is a bay, which I called Temple Bay.  At the distance of nine leagues from Cape Grenville, in the direction of E. 1/2 N. lie some high islands, which I called Sir Charles Hardy’s Isles; and those which lie off the Cape I called Cockburn’s Isles.  Having lain by for the boats, which had got out of their station, till about one o’clock, we then

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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 13 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.