Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/264

242 water, by means of membranous expansions, situated laterally near its lower extremity: some of them even dropped on board of us.

10th. About half an hour past five in the morning, we entered the Torrid Zone, in 65° of E. longitude.

About eight we saw the Isle of Pines, which is at a little distance from the southern point of New Caledonia. It had the appearance of a peak of moderate elevation; and we soon had a view of the low lands, with which it is every where surrounded. We distinguished large trees, towards the south-east part of the island. Its position, which we determined, is in S. lat. 22° 42′, and E. long. 165° 14′, which is but 4′ less in lat. and 4′ more in long, than its position, as assigned by Captain Cook.

About five in the evening, we had sight of New Caledonia in the N.W., distant above twenty thousand toises, and we steered towards it; but about sun-set, we were obliged to lay to for the Esperance, which always sailed much worse than our ship. We then had a view of the coast, from 32° to the northward of west, to 32° to the westward of north; but we were still too far distant to see the reefs, between that island and the Isle of Pines. The Esperance joined us about eight at