*774*
. Ju l y .
urday 16.
of our departure from England, which happened on this day,
was celebrated by the failors with their ufual mirth. They
drank plentifully, having faved a part of their daily allowance,
for this folemn occafion, and drowned every gloomy
idea in grog, the mariner’s Lethe. One of them, of a fanatical
turn, compofed a hymn on the occafion, as he had
done the firft year; and after ferioufly exhorting his fellows
to repentance, fat down and hugged the bottle heartily; but
like all the reft, he proved unequal to the conflict, and funk
under the powerful influence of his adverfary.
The wind frefhened very much the two following days,,
and on the third the weather became hazy, with fhowers of
rain. A calabafli, which we obferved drifting paft the fhip,
feemed to indicate the near approach of land ; and indeed a
few hours after, about two o’clock in the afternoon, on the
i 6th, we made it at a little diftance before us, being high,,
and of confiderable extent. The gale encreafed towards
night, and the fhip rolled very much; the rains were in-
ceflant at the fame time, and coming through the decks
into our cabins, thoroughly foaked our books, cloaths, and
beds, depriving us of reft. The fame heavy gales, with-
bad weather, continued all the next day, and fo involved the
land in clouds, that we could fcarce difcern it, but were
forced to {land off and on. This weather was the more
dtfagreeable, as it was unexpected in a fea, which has always
been termed Pacific. It proves, that no entire reliance
m a y
may be had upon general denominations ; and, that though
florins and hurricanes are perhaps very feldom felt in this
ocean, yet it is not wholly free from them. Its weftern
part is particularly known for ftrong gales. When captain
Pedro Fernandez de Quiros left his Tierra del Efpiritu Santo ;
when M. de Bougainville was on the coaft of the Louifiade ;
and when captain Cook, in the Endeavour, explored the
eaftern coaft of New Holland, each of them met with
ftormy weather. Perhaps it may be owing to the large
lands which are fituated in this part of the ocean; at lead it
is known, that the ftated winds of the torrid zone become
variable in the neighbourhood of high and extenfive
coafts.
The weather was a little clearer the next morning, fi>
that we could venture to run in fhore. We diftinguilhed
two iflands, which were the Whitfun and Aurora Iflands,
of M. de Bougainville, and ran for the northern extremity of
the latter.
Thus, after fpending two years in vifiting the difcoveries
of former voyagers, in rectifying their miftakes, and in
combating vulgar errors, we began the third, by in-
veftigating a group of iflands which the French navigator,
prefled by neceflity, and ill fitted out, had left with precipitation.
It was referved for this laft year to teem in new
difcoveries, and to make amends for the two firft. We bad,
it is true, no reafon to complain, fince mofl of the countries.
*774-
Jul y
Monday i&;.
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