Finding no encouragement to continue our researches, and, the next morning, both wind and weather being favourable, I weighed anchor and put to sea.  To this harbour I gave the name of Port Palliser, in honour of my worthy friend Admiral Sir Hugh Palliser.  It is situated in the latitude of 49 deg. 3’ S., in the longitude of 69 deg. 37’ E., and five leagues from Howe’s Foreland, in the direction of S. 25 deg.  E. There are several islands, rocks, and breakers lying in and without the entrance.  We went in and out between them and the north head; but I have no doubt that there are other channels.

As we were standing out of Port Palliser, we discovered a round hill, like a sugar-loaf, in the direction of S. 72 deg.  E., about nine leagues distant.  It had the appearance of an island lying at some distance from the coast; but we afterward found it was upon the main land.  In getting out to sea, we had to steer through the winding channels amongst the shoals.  However, we ventured to run over some of them, on which we never found less than eighteen fathoms, and often did not strike ground with twenty-four; so that, had it not been for the sea-weed growing upon all of them, they would not have been discovered.

After we had got about three or four leagues from the coast, we found a clear sea, and then steered E. till nine o’clock, when the Sugar Loaf hill, above mentioned, which I named Mount Campbell, bore S.E., and a small island that lies to the northward of it, S.S.E., distant four leagues.  I now steered more southerly, in order to get in with the land.  At noon, the latitude by double altitudes was 49 deg. 8’ S.; and we had made eighty miles of east longitude from Cape St Louis.[119] Mount Campbell bore S. 47 deg.  W., distant about four leagues; a low point, beyond which no land was to be seen, bore S.S.E., at the distance of about twenty miles; and we were about two leagues from the shore.

[Footnote 119:  Cape Francois.]

The land here is low and level.[120] The mountains ending about five leagues from the low point, a great extent of low land is left, on which Mount Campbell is situated, about four miles from the foot of the mountains, and one from the sea coast.  These mountains have a considerable elevation, as also most of the inland ones.  They seemed to be composed of naked rocks, whose summits were capt with snow.  Nor did the valleys appear to greater advantage.  To whatever quarter we directed our glasses, nothing but sterility was to be seen.

[Footnote 120:  This part of the coast seems to be what the French saw on the 5th of January 1774.  Monsieur de Pages speaks of it thus:  “Nous reconnumes une nouvelle cote etendue de toute veu dans l’Est, & dans le Ouest.  Les terres de cette cote etoient moins elevees que celles que nous avions veues jusques ici; elles etoient aussi d’un aspect moins rude.”—­De Pages, tom. ii. p. 68.—­D.]

We had scarcely finished taking the bearings at noon, before we observed low land opening off the low point just mentioned, in the direction of S.S.E., and eight miles beyond it.  This new point proved to be the very eastern extremity of this land, and it was named Cape Digby.  It is situated in the latitude of 49 deg. 23’ S., and in the longitude of 70 deg. 34’ E.