On the 1st of March, our latitude being now 44° 49' N., and our longitude 228° E. we had one calm day. This was succeeded by a wind from the N. with which I stood to the E. close hauled, in order to make the land. According to the charts, it ought not to have been far from us. It was remarkable, that we should still carry with us such moderate and mild weather so far to the northward, and so near the coast of an extensive continent, at this time of the year. The present season either must be uncommon for its mildness, or we can assign no reason why Sir Francis Drake should have met with such severe cold, about this latitude, in the month of June. Viscaino, indeed, who was near the same place in the depth of winter, says little of the cold, and speaks of a ridge of snowy mountains somewhere on the coast, as a thing rather remarkable.[1] Our seeing so few birds, in comparison of what we met with in the same latitudes to the south of the Line, is another singular circumstance, which must either proceed from a scarcity of the different sorts, or from a deficiency of places to rest upon. From hence, we may conclude, that, beyond 40° in the southern hemisphere, the species are much more numerous, and the isles where they inhabit also more plentifully scattered about, than any where between the coast of California and Japan, in or near that latitude.
During a calm, on the morning of the 2d, some parts of the sea seemed covered with a kind of slime, and some small sea-animals were swimming about. The most conspicuous of which were of the gelatinous or medusa kind, almost globular; and another sort smaller, that had a white or shining appearance, and were very numerous. Some of these last were taken up, and put into a glass cup with some salt water, in which they appeared like small scales or bits of silver, when at rest, in a prone situation. When they began to swim about, which they did, with equal ease, upon their backs, sides, or belly, they emitted the brightest colours of the most precious gems, according to their position with respect to the light. Sometimes they appeared quite pellucid, at other times assuming various tints of blue, from a pale sapphirine to a deep violet colour; which were frequently mixed with a ruby or opaline redness; and glowed with a strength sufficient to illuminate the vessel and water. These colours appeared most vivid when the glass was held to a strong light; and mostly vanished on the subsiding of the animals to the bottom, when they had a brownish cast. But, with candle light, the colour was, chiefly, a beautiful pale green, tinged with a burnished gloss; and, in the dark, it had a faint appearance of glowing fire. They proved to be a new species of oniscus, and, from their properties, were, by Mr Anderson, (to whom we owe this account of them), called oniscus fulgens; being probably an animal which has a share in producing some sorts of that lucid appearance, often observed near ships at sea in the night. On the same day two large birds settled on the water, near the ship. One of these was the procellaria maxima (the quebrantahuessos), and the other, which was little more than half the size, seemed to be of the albatross kind. The upper part of the wings, and tip of the tail, were black, with the rest white; the bill yellowish; upon the whole not unlike the sea-gull, though larger.
On the 6th at noon, being in the latitude of 44° 10' N., and the longitude of 234-1/2° E., we saw two seals and several whales; and at day-break the next morning, the long-looked-for coast of New Albion[2] was seen, extending from N.E. to S.E., distant ten or twelve leagues. At noon our latitude was 44° 33' N., and our longitude 235° 20' E.; and the land extended from N.E. 1/2 N. to S.E. by S. about eight leagues distant. In this situation we had seventy-three fathoms water, over a muddy bottom, and about a league farther off found ninety fathoms. The land appeared to be of a moderate height, diversified with hills and valleys, and almost every where covered with wood. There was, however, no very striking object on any part of it, except one hill, whose elevated summit was flat. This bore E. from us at noon. At the northern extreme the land formed a point, which I called Cape Foulweather, from the very bad weather that we soon after met with. I judge it to lie in the latitude of 44° 55' N., and in the longitude of 235° 54' E.
We had variable light airs and calms till eight o'clock in the evening, when a breeze sprung up at S.W. With it I stood to the N.W., under an easy sail, waiting for day-light, to range along the coast. But at four, next morning, the wind shifted to N.W., and blew in squalls, with rain. Our course was N.E. till near ten o'clock, when, finding that I could make no progress on this tack, and seeing nothing like a harbour, I tacked, and stood off S.W. At this time Cape Foulweather bore N.E. by N. about eight leagues distant. Toward noon the wind veered more to the westward, and the weather became fair and clear; so that we were enabled to make lunar observations. Having reduced all those that we had made since the 19th of last month to the present ones, by the time-keeper, amounting in the whole to seventy-two sets, their mean result determined the longitude to be 235° 15' 26" E., which was 14' 11" less than what the time-keeper gave. This longitude is made use of for settling that of the coast; and I have not a doubt of its being within a very few miles of the truth.
Our difficulties now began to increase. In the evening the wind came to the N.W., blowing in squalls, with hail and sleet; and the weather being thick and hazy, I stood out to sea till near noon the next day, when I tacked, and stood in again for the land, which made its appearance at two in the afternoon, bearing E.N.E. The wind and weather continued the same; but, in the evening, the former veered more to the W. and the latter grew worse, which made it necessary to tack and stand off till four the next morning, when I ventured to stand in again.
At four in the afternoon we saw the island, which, at six, extended from N.E. 1/2 E. to S.E. by S. about eight leagues distant. In this situation we tacked, and sounded; but a line of a hundred and sixty fathoms did not reach the ground. I stood off till midnight, then stood in again; and at half-past six we were within three leagues of the land, which extended from N. by E. 1/2 E. to S. 1/2 E.; each extreme about seven leagues distant. Seeing no signs of a harbour, and the weather being still unsettled, I tacked, and stretched off S.W. having then fifty-five fathoms water, over a muddy bottom.
That part of the land which we were so near when we tacked, is of a moderate height, though in some places it rises higher within. It was diversified with a great many rising grounds and small hills; many of which were entirely covered with tall, straight trees; and others, which were lower, and grew in spots like coppices; but the interspaces, and sides of many of the rising grounds, were clear. The whole, though it might make an agreeable summer prospect, had now an uncomfortable appearance; as the bare grounds towards the coast were all covered with snow, which seemed to be of a considerable depth between the little hills and rising grounds; and in several places, toward the sea, might easily have been mistaken, at a distance, for white cliffs. The snow on the rising grounds was thinner spread; and farther inland, there was no appearance of any; from whence we might, perhaps, conclude, that what we saw toward the sea, had fallen during the night; which was colder than any we had experienced since our arrival on the coast; and we had sometimes a kind of sleet. The coast seemed every where almost straight, without any opening or inlet; and it appeared to terminate in a kind of white sandy beach; though some on board thought that appearance was owing to the snow. Each extreme of the land that was now before us, seemed to shoot out into a point. The northern one was the same which we had first seen on the 7th; and on that account I called it Cape Perpetua. It lies in the latitude of 44° 6' N., and in the longitude of 235° 57'E. The southern extreme before us, I named Cape Gregory.[3] Its latitude is 43° 30', and its longitude 235° 57' E. It is a remarkable point; the land of it rising almost directly from the sea to a tolerable height, while that on each side of it is low.
I continued standing off till one in the afternoon. Then I tacked, and stood in, hoping to have the wind off from the land in the night. But in this I was mistaken; for at five o'clock it began to run to the west and south-west, which, obliged me once more to stand out to sea. At this time, Cape Perpetua bore N.E. by N.; and the farthest land we could see to the south of Cape Gregory bore S. by E., perhaps ten or twelve leagues distant. If I am right in this estimation, its latitude will be 43° 10', and its longitude 235° 55' E., which is nearly the situation of Cape Blanco, discovered or seen by Martin d'Aguilar, on the 19th of January, 1603. It is worth observing, that in the very latitude where we now were, geographers have been pleased to place a large entrance or strait, the discovery of which they take upon them to ascribe to the same navigator; whereas nothing more is mentioned in the account of his voyage, than his having seen, in this situation, a large river, which he would have entered, but was prevented by the currents.[4]
The wind, as I have observed, had veered to S.W. in the evening; but it was very unsettled, and blew in squalls, with snow showers. In one of these, at midnight, it shifted at once to W.N.W. and soon increased to a very hard gale, with heavy squalls, attended with sleet or snow. There was no choice now; and we were obliged to stretch to the southward, in order to get clear of the coast. This was done under courses and two close-reefed top-sails; being rather more sail than the ships could safely bear; but it was necessary to carry it to avoid the more pressing danger of being forced on shore. This gale continued till eight o'clock in the morning of the 18th; when it abated, and I stood in again for the land. We had been forced a considerable way backward; for at the time of our tacking, we were in the latitude of 42° 45', and in the longitude of 233° 30'.