1802
January.
Tuesday 26.
by-north, when we steered in for the land. At ten, the shore was eight or nine miles distant, and our course was north-east, nearly as it trended. The latitude at noon, from observations to the north and south, was 31° 51′ 34″, and longitude by time keepers 128° 41′; the beach was distant three or four miles in the north-north-west, and the bank behind it lay two or three miles inland and was somewhat higher, but had less wood upon it than further westward. The wind was fresh at south-west, and the mercury was rising; but the haziness of the weather was such, that no extremes of the land could be set.
Our course from noon was nearly east, at the distance of five or six miles from the shore; and we ran at the rate of between seven and eight knots, under double-reefed top sails and fore sail. Abreast of our situation at half past two, the level bank again closed in upon the shore, and formed cliffs very similar to those along which we had before run thirty leagues. Their elevation appeared to be from four to six hundred feet, the upper third part was brown, and the lower two-thirds white; but as we advanced, the upper brown stratum was observed to augment in proportional quantity. We could not distinguish, as before, the smaller layers in the two strata; and from the number of excavations in the white part, apparently from pieces having fallen down (see Mr. Westall's sketch),(Atlas,
Plate XVII.
View 6. I was led to think the lower portion of these cliffs to be grit stone, rather than calcareous rock. The bank was not covered with shrubs, as before it came to the water side, but was nearly destitute of vegetation, and almost as level as the horizon of the sea.
At dusk we hauled up south-east-by south to the wind, at one in the morningWednes. 27. tacked to the westward, and at four bore away north for the land. Having reached within six miles of the cliffs, we steered eastward again, with a fair breeze; and at noon were in latitude 31 40′ 52″ and longitude 130° 59′; the cliffs were then distant seven miles to the northward, and at N. 9° E. was their termination.
The length of these cliffs, from their second commencement, is