Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Pages ...
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
788 KERGUELEN’S VOYAGE TO THE NORTH.
of his attachment to the fervice in joining us. He had recently commanded a king*s
fhip, and the fatigue of a new voyage full of hardfhips, had nothing in it to deter him.
I had for the fourth officer M. Soyer de Vaucouleur, mafter of a fire-fhip, who had com-
manded feveral privateers, a man of the beft difpofition.
I left Breft the fifteenth of May, 1768, with a weak E. wind; my intention was to
pafs by St. George’s channel, but the wind which came round to the N_, blowing very
frefh, and continuing feveral days prevented me: I paffed to the weft of Ireland, as on
my firft voyage; I kept however more clofely in fhore, on account of the banks and
high bottoms, which I before noticed.
Nothing interefting occurred before the twenty-feventh, at eight in the evening.
We had afrefh gale from the weft with a heavy fea; and were fteering north, when we
perceived before usa tide-bed, covered with fea weed and foam; we were fhortly in the
midft of it, and the fea, every where elfe running very high, was here as calm and as
even asin a pond; except the furface of the fea’s trembling and boiling up the current,
bearing us with rapidity to windward. I immediately brought to and founded; we found
no bottom, but Iam perfuaded we were in the neighbourhood of rocks, the more fo
from our being by reckoning between Rokol and St. Kilda iflands: there is anchorage
in eighteen fathoms water fouth eaft of the largeft of the St. Kilda iflands, and a paflage
between that, and the one which lays N. quarter N. E. of it. In cafe of need a veffel
may anchor in this channel in twenty-fix fathoms water, fand and {tony bottom. :
The thirty-firft, fteering north to make land, cape Heckla bearing by eftimation N.
W. twenty leagues diftant, we encountered a furious gale of wind from the eaftward,
with a thick fog. As the weather was unfeafonable for making land, and as I had a.
Jong way to make to the weft, I refolved on bearing W. N. W. and N. W. quarter
W. before the wind, till the weather fhould change and the fky appear. My intention
being in cafe the weather fhould not clear up, to fteer under bare poles, and ftand. to
fea till fuch time, as I fhould find myfelf in the longitude of Birds’ iflands.
The firft of June, the wind fell towards night, but the fog continued very thick,
which caufed me to keep on the fame tack, under eafy fail.
The fecond, in the morning the fky being fomewhat clear, the wind ftill E. I
fteered N. E. quarter N. in order to make land. At noon I found myfelf ia latitude
63° 20’, and continued the fame courfe ; at length, at two o’clock in the afternoon we
made the Birds’ iflands. That which is neareft to fhore bore N. E. quarter E., four
leagues diftant, and another welt of the former bore N. W. I continued fome time
fteering N. E. quarter N. for the purpofe of getting in fhore, at length I bore away at
N. quarter N. E., to fall in with the iflands, and pafs between the firft and the fecond,
on the fide of the main land. ‘The two iflands are full two leaguesafunder. I found
in this paflage tide-beds and eddies, which made a dreadful noife. ‘The direction or
courfe of the tides is N. W. andS. E. North of the two iflands between which I failed,
I perceived the paflage between the main-land and the firft ifland ; it appeared to me
fcarcely a league wide; on account of the currents, it ought not to be attempted ex-
cept with a ftrong and leading wind. A little north of thefe two iflands, I faw three -
others at fea, which appeared to me to bear*W. quarter N. W. of the former. All
thefe iflands are but fharp and inacceffible rocks. I continued my courfe N. quarter N.
E. to fall in with Mount Jeugel, and afterwards get under Bredervick point, where all
the fifhermen were aflembled.
The fourth, I anchored at Patrixfiord, where I remained fome days to give to the -
French veflels what affiftance they needed. I fay nothing here of the bearings of the
anchorage, or what relates to it haying already mentioned it before. After remaining
Li eight
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
