Page:A Voyage to Terra Australis Volume 1.djvu/349

From Nuyts' Archipelago.]

either by Europeans or Indians, and a single rat was the sole quadruped seen; but a few hair seals were killed upon the shore. Brown remarked, that this was the first island where not a single novelty in natural history had presented itself to his observation.

From the highest part of the island I saw two patches of breakers, lying near three miles out from the western island; and beyond the Top-gallant Isles in the offing, there was a piece of land of more considerable extent, which the haze did not allow of being well defined. No part of the main coast was visible from hence, beyond the projection close to Waldegrave's Isles; but on changing my station to the southward, land opened from it at the distance of three or four leagues. The principal bearings taken were as follow:

A squall passed over as the sun came to the meridian, and deprived me of an observation for the latitude; but the centre of Waldegrave's largest Isle was afterwards found to be in 33° 35½′ south, and the longitude by my observations on shore for the time keepers, was 134° 44′ east.

There were strong squalls during the night, with rain, but the wind being off the land, the ship rode easy with a whole cable. At daylight, the weather was more moderate, and we stretched out for the distant piece of land in the offing. At noon, it was seven miles to windward, and seen to be an island of about five miles in length; and being near enough at dusk to observe that it afforded shelter, and that there were no apparent dangers, we continued to beat up, and got to anchor at half past nine, in 7 fathoms, fine sand; the nearest beach being distant half a mile, and the island extending from S. 85° E. to 67° W.