gteid elude that, if there are any fuch iflands, their fituationr in
, all our charts is erroneoufly laid down.
■ Monday 3.
From the latitude 140 S., longitude 1634 46' W. we had a
ftrong gale from the S. E. which made a great fea after us,
and from that time I did not obferve the long billows from
' the Southward till we got into latitude 10° iS' S., longitude
J7 76 30' E. and then it returned from the S. W. and S.S.W.
and we found a current fetting to the fouthward, although
a current in the contrary direction had attended us almoll
all the way from the Streight o f Magellan; I conjectured
therefore that here the palfage opened between New Zealand
and New Holland. The variation here was 11° 14 'E.
Wednef. 5. On the 5th, being in latitude 10°-tS., longitude 175° 44 E .;
Saturdays, the variation was n ° 1 $ E .; and on the 8th, in latitude
i i ° S., longitude 171” 14' E- it was 11° i- E.
About this time we found our Rock o f log-lines nearly
expended, though we had already converted all our filhing
lines to the fame ufe. I was fome time in great perplexity
how to fupply this defedt, but upon a very diligent enquiry
found that we had, by chance, a few fathom o f thick untarred
•rope. This, which in our fituation was an inefiimable
•treafure, I ordered to be untwified; but as the yarns were
found to be too thick for our purpofe, it became necelTary
,to pick them into oakham: and when this was done, the
moll difficult part o f the work remained ; for this oakham
.could not be fpun into yarn, till, by combing, it was brought
into hemp, its original Rate. This was not feamen’s work,
and i f it had, we Ihould have been at a lofs how to perform
it for want of combs ; one difficulty therefore rofe upon
another, and it was neeeflary to make combs, before we
could try our fkill in making hemp. Upon this trying oc-
cafion we were again fenfible of the danger to which we
were
were expofed by the want of a forge: neceffity, however, ^ jg
the fruitful mother o f invention, fuggeRed an expedient. \---- -— .
The armourer was fe tto work to file nails down to a fmooth-
point, with which we produced a tolerable fuccedaneum
for a comb ; and one of the Quartermafiers was found fuf-
ficiently fkilled in the ufe o f this inflrument to render the
oakham fo fimooth and even, that we contrived to fpin it into
yarn, as fine as our coarfe implements would admit; and-
thus”we made tolerable log-lines, although we found it
much more difficult than to make cordage of our old cables,,
after they had been converted into junk, which was an ex--
pedient that we had been obliged to praftife long before.
We had alfo long-before ufed all our few-ing fail twine, and:
if, knowing that the quantity with which I had been fupplied.
was altogether inadequate to the wants of fuch a voyage, I
had not taken the whole quantity that had. been put on.
board' to repair the feine into my own cuflody, this deficiency
might have-been fatal to us all.’.
Y y 2t C H A A