t?7!. having taken twenty-four turtles, weighing from three to
four hundred pounds each. They lafted us three weeks,
one and fometimes two being killed every day, and the
fhip’s company receiving as much as they could eat o f
this wholefome and palatable food.
C H A P . Via.
, 1 the Ifland o f Fernando da Noronha, to tie
Run from Afcenfton, f a j f the ijtana oj re
Azores.— Stay at F a j a L — Return to England.
A FTER leaving Afcenfion we made a good deal of
welling, infomuch that we came in fight of the Ifland
of Fernando da Noronha, near the coaft of Brafil, on the
oth of June, about one o’clock in the afternoon. The longitude
of this ifland being hitherto unfettled, captam Cook
only ran in fight of it, in order to determine its true fixation.
Americo Vefpucci, whofe name has fince been given
to the continent, of which he was one of the firft dtfeo-
verers, fell in with this ifland in his fourth voyage, fo
early as the year r j os * jj but in what manner it received
its prefent name remains unknown. In 17 3 3, the French
India Company made a fmall fettlement on it ; but the Por-
tuguefe laid claim to it, and took pofleffion of it, in 1 739 t-
According to the charts of the French, all the interior part
of the ifland confifts of extenfive plains, which are fur-
rounded by feveral hills along the fea-fliores %. We ap-
Jmunme-.
Friday
* See Ramufio Raçcolta di Viaggi, &c. tom, I. p. 129*
t Don Antonio UUoa’s Voyage to South America, vol. II. may be confulted,
where fome account of the Portugufe fettlement is inferted.
t A very fine plan of the iflarfd is puhlilhed-in M. Buaehe’s map mtttled,
C a ri de la Partir de I Océan vers l’E.uateur entre 1er Cet* * Afrique « F S ' * —