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Page:The Life and Voyages of Captain James Cook (Young).djvu/151

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RESOLUTION AND ADVENTURE PARTED.
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48° 30' S., longitude 58° 7' E., nearly in the meridian of the Mauritius, and about the place where the French were said to have discovered land. The Adventure, in this voyage, usually kept at the distance of four miles from the Resolution, that the ships might take in a wider range. Floating pieces of sea weed or rock weed, with numbers of divers and other birds, being seen from both ships, they were the more eager in searching for land, these being considered indications of its proximity. They sailed to the east, and south-east, till wednesday morning; when, Capt. Furneaux expressing his belief, that there was land to the north-west, Capt. Cook, though of a different mind, steered in that direction till the morning of saturday, the 6th; when, finding adverse winds, without any appearance of land, he again proceeded towards the south-east. On monday, Feb. 8th, in latitude 49° 53' S, longitude 63° 39' E, a thick fog came on, during which the Adventure parted from the Resolution; and although Capt. Cook continued to cruise about near the same spot for two days, making frequent signals, no answer was made, and when the weather cleared up she could not be seen. After this, Capt. Cook continued on a S.E. course in the Resolution till he reached the latitude of 60° and upwards, and then steered to the eastward, keeping nearly in that latitude until wednesday, March 16; when, having attained the longitude of 146° 53' E, being nearly the meridian of Van Diemen's Land, he turned towards the north-east. He proposed to examine the eastern point of Van Diemen's Land, and ascertain whether. it was joined to New Holland or not, a point not then determined; but the wind being unfavourable, he