[Footnote 113: In the last note, we saw how remarkably Monsieur de Pagès and Captain Cook agree about the appearance of the south point of the harbour; I shall here subjoin another quotation from the former, containing his account of the harbour itself, in which the reader may trace the same distinguishing features observed by Captain Cook in the foregoing paragraph.
"Le 6, l'on mit à terre dans la premiere baie à l'Est du Cap François, & l'on prit possession de ces contrées. Ce mouillage consiste en une petite rade, qui a environs quatres encablures, ou quatre cents toises de profondeur, sur un tiers en sus de largeur. En dedans de cette rade est un petit port, dont l'entrée, de quatres encablures de largeur, presente au Sud-Est. La sonde de la petite rade est depuis quarante-cinq jusqu'à trente brasses; et celle du port depuis seize jusqu'à huit. Le fond des deux est de sable noir et vaseux. La cote des deux bords est haute, & par une pente très rude; elle est couverte de verdure, & il y a une quantité prodigieuse d'Outardes. Le fond du port est occupé par un monticule qui laisse entre lui, et la mer une plage de sable. Une petite riviere, de très bonne eau, coule à la mer dans cet endroit; & elle est fournie par un lac qui est un peu au loin, au dessus du monticule. Il y avoit sur le plage beaucoup de pinguoins & de lions marins. Ces deux especes d'animaux ne fuyoient pas, & l'on augura que le pays n'étoit point habité; la terre rapportoit de l'herbe large, noire, & bien nourrie, qui n'avoit cependant que cinque pouces ou plus de hauteur. L'on ne vit aucun arbre, ni signe l'habitation."--Voyage du Monsieur de Pagès, tom. ii. p. 69, 70.--D.]
After I had finished this business of the inscription, I went in my boat round the harbour, and landed in several places, to examine what the shore afforded; and, particularly, to look for drift wood. For, although the land here was totally destitute of trees, this might not be the case in other parts; and if there were any, the torrents would force some, or, at least, some branches, into the sea, which would afterward throw them upon the shores, as in all other countries where there is wood, and in many where there is none: But throughout the whole extent of the harbour, I found not a single piece.
In the afternoon, I went upon Cape St Louis,[114] accompanied by Mr King, my second lieutenant. I was in hopes, from this elevation, to have had a view of the sea-coast, and of the islands lying off it. But, when I got up, I found every distant object below me hid in a thick fog. The land on the same plain, or of a greater height, was visible enough, and appeared naked and desolate in the highest degree, except some hills to the southward, which were covered with snow.
[Footnote 114: Cape François.--D.]
When I got on board, I found the launch hoisted in, the ships unmoored, and ready to put to sea; but our sailing was deferred till five o'clock the next morning, when we weighed anchor.[115]
[Footnote 115: The reader is probably not a little wearied with Dr Douglas's minute comparisons of Kerguelen's and Cook's accounts of the lands in question, which indeed seem unworthy of so much concern. It was of consequence, however, to guard our navigator's reputation; and some persons may relish the discussion, as exhibiting the acumen and good sense which the detector of the infamous Lauder, and the author of "The Criterion," so eminently possessed.--E.]
SECTION V.
Departure from Christmas Harbour.--Range along the Coast, to discover its Position and Extent.--Several Promontories and Bays, and a Peninsula, described and named.--Danger from Shoals.--Another Harbour and a Sound.--Mr Anderson's Observations on the Natural Productions, Animals, Soil, etc. of. Kerguelen's Land.
As soon as the ships were out of Christmas Harbour, we steered S.E. 1/2 S., along the coast, with a fine breeze at N.N.W., and clear weather. This we thought the more fortunate, as, for some time past, fogs had prevailed, more or less, every day; and the continuance of them would have defeated our plan of extending Kerguelen's discovery. We kept the lead constantly going; but seldom struck ground with a line of fifty or sixty fathoms.
About seven or eight o'clock, we were off a promontory, which I called Cape Cumberland. It lies a league and a half from the south point of Christmas Harbour, in the direction of S.E. 1/2 S. Between them is a bay with two arms, both of which seemed to afford good shelter for shipping. Off Cape Cumberland is a small but pretty high island, on the summit of which is a rock like a sentry-box, which occasioned our giving that name to the island. Two miles farther to the eastward, lies a group of small islands and rocks, with broken ground about them: We sailed between these and Sentry-Box Island, the channel being a full mile broad, and more than forty fathoms deep; for we found no bottom with that length of line.