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784 KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NORTH.
of this bank: if you near the ifland of Braffa, you muft keep at two cables’ diftance,
but if the weftern fide be kept, you may near the fhore to within half a cable, on ac-
count of its being very fafe; when through this channel the road becomes wide, but
joon after it becomes much narrower than before. It is requifite then to fteer well and
fail by an iflet or rock called Scotland, in preference to coafting of Braffa; becaufe in
this part Brafla has rocks under water about it, which extend for a mile from fhore.
When you have doubled Scotland and the moft northern point of Braffa, the paflage is
very good between the rocks called the Brothers and Green ifland, which you have to
larboard, and the ifland of Beofter, north of Brafla, which is left to ftarboard. When
the ifland of Beofter is failed by, the paflage of North found is gone through, and you
are at liberty to take what courfe may fuit.
North of Braffa ifland, between it and the point of Mainland, called Mull of Enwick,
the fea forms a large bay, where are four good anchoring places, called Deals Woe,
Laxford-woe, Webfter-woe, and Catford-woe. I fhall not give a defcription of the
three firft, which can only receive merchant veffels or corvettes; but the anchorage of
Catford-woe, which is the moft northerly of the four, is alfo the moft confiderable ;
it forms three creeks, which afford three good ports, the one is E. S. E., the other
W.N. W., and the third N. Thefe ports can receive any veffels of war, and afford
fhelter from all winds. The anchorage is in from three to fifteen fathoms water, accord-
ing as you near the land. - When from the eaftern fide of the Shetland iflands you are
defirous of entering one of thefe ports, you mutt fteer for the ifle of Nofs and the
Hanging.-cliif, afterwards bear N. W. to pafs between Green-ifland, which is left to
ftarboard, and the rocks called the Brothers, which are left to larboard. Or, if the
wind ferve better, you may pafs between Green-ifland to larboard and Houfe Stack and
Glatnefs to ftarboard. From Swineburger-head to Nonefs, the flood-tide runs to the
north ; from Nonefs to Brafla, and from Brafla to Catford-woe S.S. E. The ebb-
tide runs in a contrary direction. On the weltern fide the flood-tide runs fouth from
Swineburger-head to Scalluwa, and the ebb-tide runs north.
| have now to fpeak of the foundings for making land. I have already obferved,
that, on approaching thefe iflands, the bottom, which is always large fand, is more
mixed with gravel and ftones. All round thefe iflands at about four leagues diftance,
there are feventy-five fathoms water. It muft however be obferved, that on the eaftern
fide there are three or four pits or wells where there is more than a hundred fathoms
water. Four leagues north of the Unit ifland, the moft northern of the Shetland
iflands, during my fecond voyage, I took an obfervation in fine weather, and found that
the moft northerly highlands of Unft lay in latitude 60° 44’. The highlands ot Shet-
land are not very lofty ; they may however be difcerned ten leagues at fea. T-welve
leagues eaft of thefe iflands I noticed the variation 18° 42’. I now take up my
journal.
The twenty-ninth of Auguft I was forty leagues from the iflands of Ferro. The
rock at the north of thefe iflands, called the Bifhop, was fouth of me, diltant as
defcribed.
The thirtieth, weak winds varying from S. E. to S. W., a fine fea, and continuation
of foggy weather. I kept the clofeft I could, whether the larboard or ftarboard tack,
to make the fouth, and endeavour to fall in with the ifland Enkeuyfen. I founded
every now and then becaufe I faw eddies or whirlpools made by the tides, but I could
find no bottom.
The thirty-firft, a fouth wind rather frefh, a thick fog ; I ordered the officer on watch
at the beginning of the night to bring to till morning, but if the wind sini» .
au
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