,1774.
.Se pt em b e r . of, for the fake of a Angle meal. All our officers, who
had made feveral voyages round the world, and experienced
a multiplicity of hardffiips, acknowledged at prefent, that
all their former fufferings were not to be compared to thofe
of the prefent voyage, and that they had never before fo
thoroughly loathed a fait diet. Captain Cook had made a
provifion of dried hams for the voyage, which by length of
time were much corrupted ; all the fat being converted into
a rancid oil, and the fait having filled the fleffi with a quantity
of alkaline concretions like tartar. However, as often
as this putrid and loathfome meat was carried to table,
which happened once a week, the petty officers devoured
it with willful looks, and fpoke of our good fortune fo
feelingly, that it would have given pain to a favage. It was-
owing to our having fuch an excellent prefervative as four-
ikrout on board, that the fcurvy did not at this time make
any confiderable progrefs amongft us ; but our fituation was
indeed wretched enough, without the additional horrors of
difeafe.
We were becalmed in the evening among the reefs,
which furrounded us on all fides, and made our fituation
dangerous, on account of the tides and currents, as well as
for want of anchoring-ground, having founded in vain
with a line of 1 5o fathoms. At half pall feven o’clock
we faw a ball of fire to the northward, in fize and fplendor
r.efembling the fun, though fomewhat paler. It burft a
few
few moments after, and left behind it feveral bright fparks,
of which the largeft, of an oblong ffiape, moved quickly
out of our horizon, whilft a kind of bluifh flame followed,
and marked its courfe. Some heard a hilling noife, which
accompanied the fwift defcent of this meteor. Our fhip-
mates expedited a freffi gale after its appearance, having frequently
obferved the fame to enfue upon fimilar occafions.
And in fadt, whatever may be the relation between this
-phenomenon, and the motion of the atmofphere, or whether
it was accident, their prediditions were verified the fame
night. A brilk gale fprung up, which fettled at fouth, the
next morning, and permitted us to -diredt our courfe E. by S.
and S’. S. E. from New Caledonia. This ifiand, the largeft
hitherto difcovered in the South Seas between the tropics,
remains entirely unexplored on its fouth fide. The direction
and outline of its northern coaft, was Iketched out
during the fhort time which we could afford to fpend on
this valuable difcovery ; but its animals, vegetables, and
minerals Hill remain untouched, and offer an ample field
to the naturalift. The appearance of cyprefs-trees on the
eaftern part, feems to prove that the nature of the foil, and
the mineral produdtions are totally different in that part,
from thofe of Balladd, of which we had a cUrfory view ;
and from what we faw on the little fandy Botany Ifland, a
diftindt fet of plants muft there cover the ground, and
various unknown birds inhabit the woods. Thus it Hill
V ol. II. L I I
7774.
September*
Oc to b er .
Saturday x*
remains