Page:Captain Cook's Journal during His First Voyage Round the World.djvu/392

314 bank, at least so much as we sounded, extends nearly N. and S., how far I cannot say; its breadth, however, is not more than ¼ or at most ½ a Mile. Being over the Bank, we deepned our water to a ¼ less 7 fathoms, which depth we carried all the way to the small Island ahead, which we reached by Noon, at which time it bore S., distant near ½ a Mile; depth of Water 5 fathoms. The most northermost land we had in sight (being part of the same Chain of Islands we have had to the Northward of us since we entered the Passage) bore N. 71° E.; Lat. in, by Observation, 10° 33′ S., Long. 219° 22′ W. In this situation we had no part of the Main land in sight. Being now near the Island, and having but little wind, Mr. Banks and I landed upon it, and found it to be mostly a barren rock frequented by Birds, such as Boobies, a few of which we shott, and occasioned my giving it the name of Booby Island. I made but very short stay at this Island before I return'd to the Ship; in the meantime the wind had got to the S.W., and although it blow'd but very faint, yet it was accompanied with a Swell from the same quarter. This, together with other concuring Circumstances, left me no room to doubt but we had got to the Westward of Carpentaria, or the Northern extremity of New Holland, and had now an open Sea to the Westward; which gave me no small satisfaction, not only because the danger and fatigues of the Voyage was drawing near to an end, but by being able to prove that New Holland and New Guinea are 2 separate Lands or Islands, which until this day hath been a doubtful point with Geographers.

The N.E. entrance of this passage or Strait lies in the Latitude of 10° 27′ S, and in the Longitude of 218° 36′ W. from the