Our commander, therefore, formed the design of proceeding in his present latitude four or five degrees of longitude to the west of the meridian he was now in, and then to pursue his researches eastward.

The west and north-west winds, which had continued for some days, prevented him from carrying this purpose into execution.

However, he was convinced from the perpetual high sea he had lately met with, that there could be no great extent of land to the west.
While Captain Cook, on the next day, was steering eastward, Captain Furneaux told him that he thought the land was to the north-west of them; as he had, at one time, observed the sea to be smooth, when the wind blew in that direction.

This observation was by no means conformable to the remarks which had been made by our commander himself.

Nevertheless, such was his readiness to attend to every suggestion, that he resolved to clear up the point, if the wind would admit of his getting to the west in any reasonable time.