Thursday, December 12th

At daybreak I was on deck and as the sun rose the land looked lovely. The boys agreed with me it was very like the Isle of Man coast from Castletown to Douglas, only that the low hills and precipitous cliffs along the shore are here densely wooded. Great disputes were rife as to whether the wood was forest or not. It seems to me that there are large trees in the interior, far up the hillsides, dwarfed gradually as they approach and line (as they do) the water's edge. No signs of human habitations. Dead leaves and seaweed in great patches drift past the ship. The wind is almost gone at eight o'clock. One specimen of gull has been seen this morning about the ship—the only other birds are the Cape pigeons. This morning they have replaced the cutter on the davits, and the strain has opened a seam which lets the water, as they wash decks, come in streams into the cabin. The only sign of the 'Traps' was breakers about nine miles out to sea—bearing E.S.E. by a very remarkable pillar of rock upon a headland which seems, with another headland opposite, to form the entrance to a harbour. After breakfast the wind came to E.N.E., foul page 80of course—and we stood for a while from land in a thick fog. On the other tack we hoped to weather S.E. Cape, the eastern point of Stewart's Island. Sun and air delicious in quality. Hosts innumerable of Cape pigeons. A bronze pigeon and a seal were seen and remain about the ship. We stood in for Foveaux's Straits till two o'clock, keeping close to the land on the south side. We recognized by the map as we passed them successively—S.E. Cape, Port Adventure & Port Somes, distinguished by the remarkable 'Saddle' Hill overtopping it. From two till four we stood out again, then tacked to the northward and were becalmed, remaining so nearly all night.