About eight in the evening, a light breeze springing up, which fixed at S.S.E., we steered N.W. and N.N.W., round Cape Newenham, which, at noon next day, bore S. by E., distant four leagues. At this time the most advanced land to the northward bore N., 30° E.; our depth of water was seventeen fathoms, and the nearest shore 3-1/2 leagues distant. We had but little wind all the afternoon; so that, at ten at night, we had only made three leagues upon a north course.
We steered N. by W. till eight the next morning, when, our depth of water decreasing suddenly to five and seven fathoms, we brought-to, till a boat from each ship was sent ahead to sound, and then steered N.E. after them; and at noon we had deepened the water to seventeen fathoms. At this time, Cape Newenham bore S., 9° E., distant eleven or twelve leagues; the N.E. extreme of the land in sight N., 66° E.; and the nearest shore about four or five leagues distant. Our latitude, by observation, was 59° 16'.
Between this latitude and Cape Newenham, the coast is composed of hills and low land, and appeared to form several bays. A little before one o'clock, the boats ahead made the signal for meeting with shoal water. It seems they had only two fathoms; and at the same time the ships were in six fathoms. By hauling a little more to the northward, we continued in much the same depth till between five and six o'clock, when the boats meeting with less and less water, I made the signal to the Discovery, she being then ahead, to anchor, which we did soon after. In bringing our ship up, the cable parted at the clinch, which obliged us to come-to with the other anchor. We rode in six fathoms water, a sandy bottom, and about four or five leagues from the main land; Cape Newenham bearing S., seventeen leagues distant. The farthest hills we could see to the north, bore N.E. by E.; but there was low land stretching out from the high land as far as N. by E. Without this was a shoal of sand and stones, that was dry at half ebb.
I had sent the two masters, each in a boat, to sound between this shoal and the coast. On their return, they reported, that there was a channel, in which they found six and seven fathoms water; but that it was narrow and intricate. At low water, we made an attempt to get a hawser round the lost anchor, but did not succeed then. However, being determined not to leave it behind me, as long as there was a probability of recovering it, I persevered in my endeavours, and at last succeeded in the evening of the 20th.
While we were thus employed, I ordered Captain Clerke to send his master in a boat to look for a passage in the S.W. quarter. He did so; but no channel was to be found in that direction; nor did there appear to be any way to get clear of these shoals, but to return by the track which had brought us in. For although, by following the channel we were in, we might probably have got farther down the coast; and though, possibly, this channel might have led us at last to the north, clear of the shoals, still the attempt would have been attended with vast risk; and if we should not have succeeded, there would have been a considerable loss of time that could ill be spared. These reasons induced me to return by the way in which we came; and so get without the shoals.
A number of lunar observations, made by Mr King and myself on this and the four preceding days, and all reduced to the ship's present station, gave the longitude
| 197° 45' 48" | |||
| By the time-keeper it was | 197 26 48 | ||
| Our latitude was | 59 37 30 | ||
| Variation by the | A.M. | 23° 34' 3" | |
| mean of three | P.M. | 22 19 40 | mean 22° 56' 51" E. |
| compasses, |
The northernmost part of the coast that we could see from this station, I judged to lie in the latitude of 60°. It seemed to form a low point, which obtained the name of Shoal-Ness.
The tide of flood sets to the north, and the ebb to the south. It rises and falls, upon a perpendicular, five or six feet; and I reckon it to be high-water on the full and change days at eight o'clock.
Having weighed at three in the morning on the 21st, with a light breeze at N.N.W., we steered back to the southward, having three boats ahead to direct us. But, notwithstanding this precaution, we found more difficulty in returning than we had in advancing; and at last were obliged to anchor, to avoid running upon a shoal, which had only a depth of five feet. While we lay here, twenty-seven men of the country, each in a canoe, came off to the ships, which they approached with great caution, hollowing and opening their arms as they advanced. This, we understood, was to express their pacific intentions. At length, some approached near enough to receive a few trifles that were thrown to them. This encouraged the rest to venture alongside; and a traffic presently commenced between them and our people; who got dresses of skins, bows, arrows, darts, wooden vessels, &c.; our visitors taking in exchange for these whatever was offered them. They seemed to be the same sort of people that we had of late met with all along this coast; wore the same kind of ornaments in their lips and noses; but were far more dirty, and not so well clothed. They appeared to be wholly unacquainted with people like us; they knew not the use of tobacco; nor was any foreign article seen in their possession, unless a knife may be looked upon as such. This, indeed, was only a piece of common iron fitted in a wooden handle, so as to answer the purpose of a knife. They, however, knew the value and use of this instrument so well, that it seemed to be the only article they wished for. Most of them had their hair shaved or cut short off, leaving only a few locks behind, or on one side. For a covering for the head they wore a hood of skins, and a bonnet which appeared to be of wool. One part of their dress, which we got from them, was a kind of girdle, very neatly made of skin, with trappings depending from it, and passing between the legs, so as to conceal the adjoining parts. By the use of such a girdle, it should seem that they sometimes go naked, even in this high latitude; for they would hardly wear it under their other clothing.