Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/162

152 Amterdam and St. Paul. Though this coure was the hortet, with repect to ditance, that we could have taken in order to arrive at the channel through which we intended to ail, the want of wind detained us much longer than might have been the cae had we teered in another direction. By ailing more directly outhward, we hould oon have met with winds that would have carried us in a hort time to the Cape of Van Diemen.

It was not before the 28th of March, when we were in lat. 37½° S. that the N.N.W. wind began to blow pretty freh. A great flight of gulls and mews howed us that we were near land; as thee birds never fly to any great ditance from the hore. We at length came in ight of it about half after one in the afternoon. It was the iland of St. Paul, which bore S.E. at the ditance of about 20,000 toies. This iland was dicovered in 1696 by Captain Valming, and called by him the Ile of Amterdam, whilt he gave the name of the Ile of St. Paul to the mot outhern of the two. Captain Cook, whom I have herein followed, revered thee appellations, and gave the name of Ile of Amterdam to the outhernmot, and that of Ile of St. Paul to the other.

The Ile of St. Paul preented itelf, at a di- tance,