Notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the weather left us little prospect of making the land, we still kept this object anxiously in view; and at day-light, ventured to steer west by south, and continued to stand on in this direction till ten in the forenoon, when the wind suddenly shifting to the south-west, brought with it clear weather. Of this we had scarcely taken advantage, by setting the top-sails, and letting out the reefs, when it began to blow so strong from this quarter, that we were forced to close reef again; and at noon, the wind shifting two points to the west, rendered it vain to keep any longer on this tack. We, therefore, put about, and steered to the southward. At this time, our latitude, by observation, was 44° 12ʹ, and longitude 150° 40ʹ; so that, after all our efforts, we had the mortification to find ourselves, according to the Russian charts, upon a meridian with Nadeegsda, which they make the southernmost of the Kurile islands, and about twenty leagues to the southward.
But, though the violent and contrary winds we had met with during the last six days, prevented our getting in with these islands, yet the course we had been obliged to hold, is not without its geographical advantages. For the group of Islands, consisting of the Three Sisters, Kunashir, and Zellany, which, in D’Anville’s maps, are placed in the track we had just crossed; being, by this means, demonstratively removed from that situation, an additional proof is obtained of their lying to the westward, where Spanberg actually places them, between the longitude 142° and 147°. But as this space is occupied in the French charts by part of the supposed land of Jeso and Staten Island, Mr. Muller’s opinion becomes extremely probable, that they are all the same lands; and as no reasons appear for doubting Spanberg’s accuracy, we have ventured, in our general map, to reinstate the Three Sisters, Zellany, and Kunashir, in their proper situation, and have entirely omitted the rest. When the reader recollects the manner in which the Russians have multiplied the islands of the Northern Archipelago, from the want of accuracy in determining their real situation, and the desire men naturally feel of propagating new discoveries, he will not be surprised, that the same causes should produce the same effects. It is thus that the Jesoian lands, which appear, both from the accounts of the Japanese, and the earliest Russian traditions, to be no other than the southern Kurile islands, have been supposed distinct from the latter. The land of De Gama is next on record, and was originally placed nearly in the same situation with those just mentioned; but was removed, as has been already suggested, to make room for Staten Island, and the Company’s Land; and as Jeso, and the southernmost of the Kuriles, had also possession of this space, that nothing might be lost, they were provided for, the former a little to the westward, and the latter to the eastward.
As the islands of Zellany and Kunashir, according to the Russian charts, were still to the southward, we were not without hopes of being able to make them, and therefore kept our head as much to the westward as the wind would permit. On the 20th, at noon, we were in latitude 43° 47ʹ, and longitude 150° 30ʹ; and steering west by south, with a moderate breeze from south-east, and probably not more than twenty-four leagues to the eastward of Zellany, when our good fortune again deserted us. For, at three o’clock in the afternoon, the wind veering round to the north-west, began to blow so strong, that we were brought under our foresail and mizen stay-sail. We had very heavy squalls, and hard rain during the next twenty-four hours; after which, the horizon clearing a little, and the weather growing moderate, we were enabled to set the topsails; but the wind still continuing to blow from the north-west, baffled all our endeavours to make the land, and obliged us at last to give up all further thoughts of discovery to the north of Japan. We submitted to this disappointment with the greater reluctance, as the accounts that are given of the inhabitants of these islands mentioned at the end of the last chapter, had excited in us the greater curiosity to visit them.
In the afternoon the leach-rope of the Resolution’s fore-top-sail gave way, and split the sail. As this accident had often happened to us in Captain Cook’s life-time, he had ordered the foot and leach-ropes of the top-sails to be taken out, and larger fixed in their stead; and as these also proved unequal to the strain that was on them, it is evident that the proper proportion of strength between those ropes and the sail, is exceedingly miscalculated in our service. This day a land-bird perched on the rigging, and was taken; it was larger than a sparrow, but in other respects very like one.
The gale now abated gradually, so that in the morning of the 22d, we let out the reefs of the top-sails, and made more sail. At noon, we were in latitude 40° 58ʹ, and longitude 148° 17ʹ; the variation 3° E. In the afternoon, another little wanderer from the land pitched on the ship, and was so worn out with fatigue, that it suffered itself to be taken immediately, and died a few hours afterward. It was not bigger than a wren, had a tuft of yellow feathers on its head, and the rest of its plumage like that of the linnet. The sparrow, being stronger, lived a long time. These birds plainly indicating, that we could not be at any great distance from the land, and the wind, after varying a little, fixing in the evening at north, our hopes of making the land, again revived, and we hauled up to the west north-west, in which direction, the southernmost islands seen by Spanberg, and said to be inhabited by hairy men, lay at the distance of about fifty leagues. But the wind not keeping pace with our wishes, blew in such light airs, that we made little way, till eight the next morning, when we had a fresh breeze from the south south-west, with which we continued to steer west north-west till the evening. At noon, we were in latitude 40° 35ʹ, longitude 146° 45ʹ; the latter deduced from several lunar observations taken during the night. The variation of the needle we found to be 17ʹ E. In the evening, we had strong squally gales attended with rain, and having passed in the course of the day, several patches of green grass, and seen a shag, many small land birds, and flocks of gulls, it was not thought prudent, with all these signs of the vicinity of land, to stand on during the whole night. We therefore tacked at midnight, and steered a few hours to the south-east, and at four in the morning of the 24th, again directed our course to the west north-west, and carried a press of sail till seven in the evening, when the wind shifted from south south-west to north, and blew a fresh gale. At this time we were in the latitude of 40° 57ʹ, and the longitude of 145° 20ʹ.
This second disappointment, in our endeavours to get to the north-west, together with the boisterous weather we had met with, and the little likelihood, at this time of the year, of its becoming more favourable to our views, were Captain Gore’s motives for now finally giving up all farther search for the islands to the north of Japan, and for shaping a course west south-west, for the north part of that island. In the night, the wind shifted to the north-east, and blew a fresh gale, with hard rain and hazy weather, which, by noon of the 25th, brought us to the latitude of 40° 18ʹ, in the longitude 144° 0ʹ. To-day we saw flights of wild ducks; a pigeon lighted on our rigging, and many birds like linnets flew about us with a degree of vigour that seemed to prove they had not been long upon the wing. We also passed patches of long grass, and a piece either of sugar-cane or bamboo. These signs, that land was at no great distance, induced us to try for soundings, but we found no ground with ninety fathoms of line. Toward evening, the wind by degrees shifted round to the south, with which we still kept on to the west south-west; and at day-break of the 26th, we had the pleasure of descrying high land to the westward, which proved to be Japan. At eight it extended from north-west to south by west, distant three or four leagues. A low flat cape bore north-west three-quarters west, and seemed to make the south part of the entrance of a bay. Toward the south extreme, a conical shaped hill bore south by west three-quarters west. To the northward of this hill there appeared to be a very deep inlet, the north side of the entrance into which is formed by a low point of land; and, as well as we could judge by our glasses, has a small island near it to the southward.
We stood on till nine, when we were within two leagues of the land, bearing west three quarters south, and had soundings of fifty-eight fathoms, with a bottom of very fine sand. We now tacked and stood off; but the wind dying away, at noon we had got no farther than three leagues from the coast, which extended from north-west by north three quarters west, to south half east, and was, for the most part, bold and cliffy. The low cape to the northward bore north-west by west, six leagues distant; and the north point of the inlet south, three-quarters west. The latitude, by observation, was 40° 5ʹ, and longitude 142° 28ʹ. The northernmost land in sight we judged to be the northern extremity of Japan.[[71]] It is lower than any other part; and, from the range of the high lands that were seen over it from the mast-head, the coast appeared evidently to incline round to the westward. The north point of the inlet we supposed to be Cape Nambu, and the town to be situated in a break of the high land, toward which the inlet seemed to direct itself.[[72]] The country is of a moderate height, consists of a double range of mountains; it abounds with wood, and has a pleasing variety of hills and dales. We saw the smoke of several towns or villages, and many houses near the shore, in pleasant and cultivated situations.
During the calm, being willing to make the best use of our time, we put our fishing lines overboard in ten fathoms’ water, but without any success. As this was the only amusement our circumstances admitted, the disappointment was always very sensibly felt, and made us look back with regret to the cod-banks of the dreary regions we had left, which had supplied us with so many wholesome meals, and, by the diversion they afforded, had given a variety to the wearisome succession of gales and calms, and the tedious repetition of the same nautical observations. At two in the afternoon, the breeze freshened from the southward, and by four had brought us under close-reefed topsails, and obliged us to stand off to the south-east. In consequence of this course, and the haziness of the weather, the land soon disappeared. We kept on all night, and till eight the next morning, when the wind coming round to the north, and growing moderate, we made sail, and steered west south-west, toward the land; but did not make it till three in the afternoon, when it extended from north-west half west to west. The northernmost extreme being a continuation of the high land, which was the southernmost we had seen the day before; the land to the west we conceived to be the Hofe Tafel Berg (the High Table Hill) of Jansen. Between the two extremes, the coast was low and scarcely perceptible, except from the mast-head. We stood on toward the coast till eight, when we were about five leagues distant; and having shortened sail for the night, steered to the southward, sounding every four hours; but never found ground with one hundred and sixty fathoms of line.
On the 28th, at six in the morning, we again saw land twelve leagues to the southward of that seen the preceding day, extending from west south-west to west by north. We steered south-west obliquely with the shore; and, at ten, saw more land open to the south-west. To the westward of this land, which is low and flat, are two islands, as we judged, though some doubts were entertained whether they might not be connected with the adjacent low ground. The hazy weather, joined to our distance, prevented us also from determining whether there are any inlets or harbours between the projecting points, which seem here to promise good shelter. At noon, the north extreme bore north-west by north, and a high-peaked hill, over a steep head-land, west by north, distant five leagues. Our latitude at this time, by observation, was 38° 16ʹ, longitude 142° 9ʹ. The mean of the variation, from observations taken both in the fore and afternoon, was 1° 20ʹ E.
At half past three in the afternoon, we lost sight of the land; and, from its breaking off so suddenly, conjectured that what we had seen this day is an island, or perhaps a cluster of islands, lying off the main land of Japan; but as the islands, called by Jansen the Schildpads, and by Mr. D’Anville Matsima, though laid down nearly in the same situation, are not equal in extent to the land seen by us, we must leave this point undecided. Having kept a south-west course during the remaining part of the day, we found ourselves, at midnight, in seventy fathoms’ water, over a bottom of fine dark brown sand. We therefore hauled up to the eastward till morning, when we saw the land again, about eleven leagues to the southward of that which we had seen the day before; and at eight we were within six or seven miles of the shore, having carried in regular soundings from sixty-five to twenty fathoms, over coarse sand and gravel. Unluckily there was a haze over the land, which hindered our distinguishing small objects on it. The coast is straight and unbroken, and runs nearly in a north and south direction. Toward the sea the ground is low, but rises gradually into hills of a moderate height, whose tops are tolerably even, and covered with wood.