much chagrined at the efcape o f this veffel, as we then apprehended
her to be an advice-boat fent from Old Spain to Buenos
Ayres, with notice of our expedition. But we have fince learnt,
that we were deceived in this conjecture, and that it was our Eajl~
India Company’s Packet, bound to St. Helena.
On the 10th of December, being, by our accounts, in the latitude
o f 20° S, and 36°: 30' longitude Weft from London, the Tryal
fired a gun to denote foundings. We immediately founded, and
found fixty fathom water, the bottom coarfe ground, with broken
(hells. The Tryal, being a-head of us, had at one time thirty-feven
fathom, which afterwards increafed to 90 : and then fhe found no
bottom, which happened to us too at our fecond trial, though we
founded with a hundred and fifty fathom o f line. This is the
fhoal which is laid down, in moft charts, by the name of the
Abrollos, and it appeared we were upon the very edge of i t ; perhaps,
farther in, it maybe extremely dangerous. We were then,
by our different accounts, from ninety to fixty leagues Eaft of the
eoaft of Brazil. The next day but one we fpoke with a Portu-
guefe Brigantine from Rio Janeiro, bound to Bahia del todos Santos,
who informed us, that we were thirty-four leagues from Cape St.
‘Thomas, and forty leagues from Cape Frio, which laft bore from
us W . S. W. By our accounts we were near eighty leagues from
Cape Frio-, and though, on the information of this Brigantine, we
altered our courfe, and flood more to the fouthward, yet, by our
coming-in with the land afterwards, we were fully convinced that
our reckoning was much correfter than our Portuguefe intelligence.
We found a confiderable current fetting to the fouthward, after we
had paffed the latitude of 16° S. and the fame took place all along
the coaft of Brazil, and even to the fouthward o f the river of
plate, it amounting fometimes to thirty miles in twenty-faur hours,
and once to above forty miles.
I f this current is occafioned (as it is moft probable) by the running
off of the water, accumulated on the coaft of Brazil by the
conftant fweeping o f the eaftern trade-wind over the Ethiapic
Ocean,
Ocean, then it is moft natural to fuppofe, that its general courfe is
determined by the bearings of the adjacent Ihore. Perhaps too, in
alnaoft every -other inftance of currents, the fame may hold true, as
I believe no examples occur of confiderable currents being obferved
at any great diftance from land. I f this, then, could be laid down
fo r 'a general principle, it would be always eafy to-correct the
reckoning by thé obferved latitude. But it were much to be
wilhed, for the general intdrefts of navigation, that the aftual fet-
tings of the different currents, which are known to take place in
.various parts o f the world, were examined moré frequently and accurately
than hitherto appears to have been done.
We now began to grow impatient for a fight of land, both for
the recovery of our fick, and for the refrefhment and fecurify of
thofe who as yet continued healthy. When we departed from St.
Helens, we were in fo good a condition, that we loft but two men
on board the Centurion, in our long paflage to Madera. But in
this prefent run, between Madera and St. Catherine's, we were remarkably
fickly, fo that many died, and great numbers were confined
to their hammocks, both in our own ihip, and in the reft o f
the fquadron, and feveral o f thefe paft all hopes o f recovery. The
diforders they, in general, laboured under were fuch as are common
to the hot climates, and what moft Ihips bound to the fouthward
experience in a greater or lefs degree. Thefe are thofe kind
o f fevers, which they ufually call Calentures: a difeafe, which was
not only terrible in its firft inftance, but even the remains of it
often proved fatal to thofe who confidered themfelves as recovered
from i t ; for it always left them in a very weak and helplefs condition,
and'ufually afflicted either with fluxes or tenefmus’ s. By
our continuance at fea, all thefe complaints were every day in-
creafing; fo that it was with great jo y we difcoyered the coaft o f
B razil on the 18 th of December, at feven in the morning.
The coaft of B razil appeared high and mountainous land, extending
from the W. to W . S. W ; and when we firft faw it, it was
1 about