*774*
Oc t obe
Sunday 9,
remains for future navigators, to continue our difeoveries in
the South Seas, and to take more time in inveftigating their
productions. Several parts of the Pacific Ocean are ftill
untouched by former tracks» for inftance, the fpace between
io.0 S-. and the line, aerofs the whole ocean, from
America to New Britain ; the fpace between i o° S. and 140
S. included between the meridian of 1400 and 1600 W.
the fpace included between the parallels of 3°° and 2 a0 S.
and the meridian of 1400 and 1 7 S 0 weft j- the fpace between
the fouthernmoft of the Friendly Iflands, and New
Caledonia, and that between New Caledonia and New Holland.
M. de Surville’s track, which I have mentioned
vol. I. p. 2 38, is the only one which lies between thefe
two countries. But New Guinea, New Britain, and all
the lands in that neighbourhood, obvioufly require to be
more minutely examined, and would doubtlefs reward the
navigator by a- world of new and important difeoveries. All
thefe diftricls of the South Sea being fearched, the northern
part of the fame fea will require feveral voyages before it
can be thoroughly explored.
It fell calm again on the 2d in the forenoon, and feveral
fharks appearing about the fhip; one of them was caught,
and divided inftantly among the whole (hip’s company. We
had our fhare of it, which the keen fauce of hunger made
very delicious to our palate, though it was in faft very oily.
We
We fooft recovered a wefterly breeze, which permitted us to
go to the S. S. E. after crofting the tropic of capricorn.
On the fifth in the afternoon, we had fight of two al-
batrofles again, being between the 26th and 2 7 th degree of
fouth latitude. The calm which happened the day after,
permitted our officers to go out in a boat, in order to Ihoot
fome birds ; but after toiling the whole day, they brought
on board only four, of which two were petrels, and two
albatrofies. We were now once more on the confines of
the eafterly trade-wind, which fo near the folftice became
variable as foon as we had pafled the tropic. On the 7 th
in the afternoon, we had a gentle breeze with which we
failed between the fouth and weft ; captain Cook being
defirous to fall in with the weft coaft of New Zeeland, in
order to efcape the fame difficulties which we had experienced
the year before in going into Cook’s Strait. In
the evening of the 8 th, a numerous ihoal of large por—
pefles pafled the fhip, and played about it, leaping frequently
out of the water. One of them was ftruck with an harpoon,
and by giving it a great deal of line, we had time
to hoift a boat out, and to kill it with five mufket fliot.
It was of that fpecies which the ancients called the dolphin
*, and which, with the common porpefs, is found in
every fea. It Was fix feet long, and its dugs were full of
* A sX fp iv , Ariftot. D e lp h in u s delpkis, Lrnh.
L 1 1 2 milk,
. >774v
October.
WednefiJays.