siderable advances, in exploring the coast, where we had seen many fires, kindled perhaps by the same natives as on the preceding days.
26th, 27th, 28th. We had also to struggle with contrary winds, during the two succeeding days; but, on the 28th, a fresh breeze at south-east, favoured our views in stretching along the coast. The high mountains, which we had hitherto seen, were exchanged for some of a much lower elevation, and at last we thought we had reached the end of the chain; but farther on, they resumed nearly the same height, and we saw the northern extremity of the island, formed of lofty mountains, which, at that distance, did not appear to differ from those which we had observed on the preceding days.
At noon, our latitude was 20° 28′ south, and our longitude 161° 29′ east, and we were not backward in observing, that near the extremity of the island, the chain of reefs was interrupted, and presented a large opening, which seemed likely to afford us an anchoring place; but the wind blew too strong to allow us to put out a boat, in order to take the soundings in this opening. We lay to all night, in hopes that the weather would be more favourable the next day.
In the direction of the land of New Caledonia,
we
