[102] Sanduynege Hoeck, in latitude 35° 55'. Jansen.
As the Dutch charts make the coast of Japan extend about ten leagues to the S.W. of White Point, at eight we tacked, and stood off to the eastward, in order to weather the point. At midnight, we again tacked to the S.W., expecting to fall in with the coast to the southward, but were surprised, in the morning at eight, to see the hummock, at the distance only of three leagues, bearing W.N.W. We began, at first, to doubt the evidence of our senses, and afterward to suspect some deception from a similarity of land; but, at noon, we found ourselves, by observation, to be actually in latitude 35° 43', at a time when our reckonings gave us 34° 48'. So that, during the eight hours in which we supposed we had made a course of nine leagues to the S.W., we had in reality been carried eight leagues from the position we left, in a direction diametrically opposite; which made, on the whole, in that short space of time, a difference in our reckoning of seventeen leagues. From this error, we calculated, that the current had set to the N.E. by N., at the rate of at least five miles an hour. Our longitude, at this time, was 141° 16'.
The weather having now the same threatening appearance as on the 29th of October, which was followed by so sudden and severe a gale, and the wind continuing at S.S.E., it was thought prudent to leave the shore, and stand off to the eastward, to prevent our being entangled with the land. Nor were we wrong in our prognostications; for it soon afterward began, and continued till next day, to blow a heavy gale, accompanied with hazy and rainy weather. In the morning of the 3d, we found ourselves, by our reckoning, upward of fifty leagues from the land; which circumstance, together with the very extraordinary effect of currents we had before experienced, the late season of the year, the unsettled state of the weather, and the little likelihood of any change for the better, made Captain Gore resolve to leave Japan altogether, and prosecute our voyage to China; hoping, that as the track he meant to pursue had never yet been explored, he should be able to make amends, by some new discovery, for the disappointments we had met with on this coast.
If the reader should be of opinion that we quitted this object too hastily, in addition to the facts already stated it ought to be remarked, that Kæmpfer describes the coast of Japan as the most dangerous in the whole world;[103] that it would have been equally dangerous, in case of distress, to run into any of their harbours, where we know, from the best authorities, that the aversion of the inhabitants to any intercourse with strangers, has led them to commit the most atrocious barbarities; that our ships were in a leaky condition, that our sails were worn out, and unable to withstand, a gale of wind, and that the rigging was so rotten as to require constant and perpetual repairs.
[103] See Kæmpfer's Hist. of Japan, vol. i. p 92, 93, 94, and 102.
As the strong currents, which set along the eastern coast of Japan, may be of dangerous consequence to the navigator, who is not aware of their extraordinary rapidity, I shall take leave of this island, with a summary account of their force and direction, as observed by us from the 1st to the 8th of November. On the 1st, at which time we were about eighteen leagues to the eastward of White Point, the current set N.E. and by N., at the rate of three miles an hour; on the 2d, as we approached the shore, we found it continuing in the same direction, but increased its rapidity to five miles an hour; as we left the shore it again became more moderate, and inclined to the eastward; on the 3d, at the distance of sixty leagues, it set to the E.N.E., three miles an hour; on the 4th and 5th, it turned to the southward, and at one hundred and twenty leagues from the land, its direction was S.E., and its rate not more than a mile and a half an hour; on the 6th and 7th, it again shifted round to the N.E., its force gradually diminishing till the 8th, when we could no longer perceive any at all.
During the 4th and 5th, we continued our course to the S.E., having very unsettled weather, attended with much lightning and rain. On both days we passed great quantities of pumice-stone, several pieces of which we took up, and found to weigh from one ounce to three pounds. We conjectured that these stones had been thrown into the sea by eruptions of various dates, as many of them were covered with barnacles, and others quite bare. At the same time, we saw two wild ducks, and several small land-birds, and had many porpoises playing round us.
On the 6th, at day-light, we altered our course to the S.S.W.; but, at eight in the evening, we were taken back, and obliged to steer to the S.E. On the 7th, at noon, we saw a small land-bird, our latitude, by observation, at this time, being 33° 52', and longitude 148° 42'. On the 9th, we were in latitude 31° 46', longitude 146° 20', when we again saw a small land-bird, a tropic bird, porpoises, flying fishes, and had a great swell from the E.S.E. We continued our course to the S.W., having the winds from the northward, without any remarkable occurrence, till the 12th, when we had a most violent gale of wind from the same quarter, which reduced us to the fore-sail and mizen stay-sail; and, as the weather was so hazy, that we were not able to see a cable's length before us, and many shoals and small islands are laid down in our charts, in this part of the ocean, we brought-to, with our heads to the S.W. At noon, the latitude by account was 27° 36', longitude 144° 25'. In the morning of the 13th, the wind shifting round to the N.W., brought with it fair weather; but though we were, at this time nearly in the situation given to the island of St Juan, we saw no appearance of land. We now bore away to the S.W., and set the top-sails, the gale still continuing with great violence. At noon, the latitude, by observation, was 26° 0', longitude 143° 40', and variation 3° 50' E. In the afternoon, we saw flying fish and dolphins, also tropic birds and albatrosses. We still continued to pass much pumice-stone; indeed, the prodigious quantities of this substance which float in the sea, between Japan and the Bashee islands, seem to indicate, that some great volcanic convulsion must have happened in this part of the Pacific Ocean; and consequently give some degree of probability to the opinion of Mr Muller, which I have already had occasion to mention, respecting the separation of the continent of Jeso, and the disappearance of Company's Land and Staten Island.
At six in the afternoon, we altered our coarse to the W.S.W., Captain Gore judging it useless to steer any longer to the S.S.W., as we were near the meridian of the Ladrones, or Marianne Islands, and at no great distance from the track of the Manilla ships. In the morning of the 14th, the weather became fine, and the wind, which was moderate, gradually shifted to the N.E., and proved to be the trade-wind. At ten, Mr Trevenen, one of the young gentlemen who came along with me into the Discovery, saw land appearing like a peaked mountain, and bearing S.W. At noon, the latitude, by observation, was 24° 37', longitude 142° 2'. The land, which we now discovered to be an island, bore S.W. 1/2 W., distant eight or ten leagues; and at two in the afternoon, we saw another to the W.N.W. This second island, when seen at a distance, has the appearance of two; the south point consisting of a high conical hill, joined by a narrow neck to the northern land, which is of a moderate height. As this was evidently of greater extent than the island to the south, we altered our course toward it. At four, it bore N.W. by W.; but, not having day-light sufficient to examine the coast, we stood upon our tacks during the night.
On the 15th, at six in the morning, we bore away for the south point of the larger island, at which time we discovered another high island, bearing N. 3/4 W., the south island, being on the same rhomb line, and the south point of the island ahead, W. by N. At nine, we were abreast, and within a mile of the middle island, but Captain Gore, finding that a boat could not land without some danger from the great surf that broke on the shore, kept on his course to the westward. At noon, our latitude, by observation, was 24° 50', longitude 140° 56' E.