177«.
Novembi
Sunday 22.
Monday 23.
C H A P . IV.
Run from the Cape to the AntarSlic Circle; jirjl feafon fpent in high
Southern Latitudes.— Arrival on the Coajl'of New Zeeland.
T^J "E failed from Table bay, about four in the afternoon,
■ on the 2 2d of November, after having faluted the
fort. The wind blew in hard fqualls, which continued all
night, and gave us once more a rough reception on the
boifterous element; while the fame luminous appearance,
which we had obferved before our coming into this bay,
was perceived again, though in a much {lighter degree.
The next day towards eight in the morning, we loft fight
of the Cape, and directed our courfe to the fouthward.
As we were now entering on an unexampled navigation,
not knowing when we might meet with a new place of
refrelhment, the captain gave the ftrifteft orders to prevent
the wafte of frelh water; to this end a centry was
placed at the fcuttled-cafk *, and a regular allowance o f
water was daily ferved out to the crew, befidea which they
were permitted to drink at the cafk, but not to carry any
water away. The captain himfelf wafhed with fait-water, and
* An open, butt placed on the quarter-deck, and daily filled with frelh water
<Dut of the hold, for the life of the fhip’s company.
all
all our company were obliged to conform to. this necef-
fary reftritftion. The diftilling machine improved by Mr.
Irving, was likewife conftantly employed, to fupply at leaft
fame part of the quantity daily confumed.
On the 24th in the afternoon, the weather being fair
and moderate, after a hard gale we caught nine albatrofles
with a line and hook, baited with a bit of fheep’s {kin.
Several of them meafured, above ten feet from tip to tip
between the expanded wings. The younger ones feemed
to have a great mixture of brownilh feathers, whereas
the full-grown were almoft entirely white except their
wings, which, were blackifh, and their fcapulars which
were barred and fprinkled with dotted lines of black.
A large brown fifh refembling the fun filh (tetrodon
molaj, was likewife feen clofe to the ftiip for a {hort fpace
of time;
Tuefdày 24..
On the the 29 th the wind, which had for three or four Sunday >9».
days paft blown a very ftrong gale, now encreafed fo much,
that we ran during the laft twenty-four hours, almoft
under the bare fore-fail. The fea at the fame time ran. very,
high, and frequently broke over the Hoop, in which none
of the cabins were prepared for fuch bad weather, our,
courfe from England to the Cape having been remarkably
free of ftorms. The people, and efpecially perfons
not brought U p to fea-affairs, were ignorant how to behave
in this new fituation ; the prodigious rolling of the velfel,
therefore