great approbation; and in the evening all hands were as drunk as our forefathers used to be upon like occasions.
1st January 1770.—The new year began with more moderate weather than the old one ended with, but wind as foul as ever: we ventured to go a little nearer the land, which appeared on this side the cape much as it had done on the other, almost entirely occupied by vast sands. Our surveyors suppose the cape to be shaped like a shoulder of mutton with the knuckle placed inwards, where they say that the land cannot be above two or three miles across, and that most probably in high winds the sea washes quite over the sands, which here are low.
6th. Calm to day. Shot Procellaria longipes, P. velox, and Diomedea exulans (the albatross). I had an opportunity of seeing this last sit upon the water; and as it is commonly said by seamen that they cannot in a calm rise upon the wing, I tried the experiment. There were two of them. One I shot dead: the other, which was near it, swam off nearly as fast as my small boat could row. We gave chase and gained a little; the bird attempted to fly by trying to take off from a falling wave, but did not succeed: I who was so far off that I knew I could not hurt him, fired at him to make his attempts more vigorous, this had the desired result, for at the third effort he got upon the wing, though I believe that had it not been for a little swell upon the water he could not have done it.
10th. The country we passed by appeared fertile, more so, I think, than any part of this country that I have seen; rising in gentle slopes not over well wooded, but what trees there were, were well grown. Few signs of inhabitants were seen: one fire and a very few houses.
About noon we passed between the main and a small island or rock, which seemed almost totally covered with birds, probably gannets. Towards evening a very high hill was in sight, but very distant.
12th. This morning we were abreast of the great hill,[1] but it was wrapped in clouds, and remained so the whole
- ↑ Mount Egmont.
