1764. November.
Wedaef. 14.
Thprfday 15.
Friday 16»
Saturday 17«
again, fo that we reefed our main fail, and lay to under it
all night. As morning approached, the gale became more
moderate, but we had ftill a great fea, and the wind fluffing
to S . by W. we flood to the weftward under our courfes*.
Soon after it was light, the fea appeared as red as blood,
being covered with a fmall fhell-filh o f that colour, fome—
what refembling our crayfifh, but lefs, of which we took
up great quantities in bafkets.
At half an hour paffi four in the morning of Thurfday the
15th of November, we faw land, which had the appearance
of an ifland about eight or nine leagues long, there being
no land in fight either to the northward or fouthward,
though by the charts it Ihould be Cape Saint Helena, which
projects from the coaft to a confiderable diftance, and forms
two bays, one to the north, and the other to the fouth. As
the weather was very fine, I tacked and flood in for it about
ten o’clock; but as there were many funken rocks at about
two leagues diftance from it, upon which the fea broke very
high, and the wind feemed to be gradually dying away, I
tacked again and flood off. The land appeared to be barren
and rocky, without either tree or bu fh: when I was neareft
to it 1 founded and had forty-five fathom, with black muddy
ground. To my great misfortune, my three Lieutenants
and the Matter were at this time fo ill as to be incapable of
duty, though the reft of the Ihip’s company were in good
health. Our latitude was 45° 2i'S .,longitude 63° 2 W.; the
variation 19° 4 1 'E.
The next day I Ihaped my courfe by the chart in the account
of Lord Anfon’s voyage, for Cape Blanco. In the evening
it blew extremely hard at S. W. by S. fo that we brought
to for the night under our main fail. In t,hc.,morning we
made fail again, but we had a great fea; add although it
was
was now almoft midfummer in thefe parts, the weather was, vfy- MB HRn 1 ' _ . . . , r* • n November. in every refpect, much worle than it is in the Bay of Biicay \__„— ^
at the depth o f winter. About fix in the evening, having SaturdaJr 1 <■-»'
carried all the fail 1 could, we made land, bearing about
S.S.W. which as we had a good obfervation o f the fun, we
knew to be Cape Blanco; but it now began to blow with
more violence than ever, and the ftorm continued all night,
with a fea that was continually breaking over us, fo that the
fir ip laboured very much. At four in the morning, we Sunday it*
founded and had forty fathom, with rocky ground; having
flood off in thé night, we now wore and flood in again, the
florm ftill continuing with hail and fnow: and about fix
o’clock we faw the land again, bearing S. W.. by W, The
Ihip was now fo light, that in a gale of wind ftie drove bodily
to leeward; fo that I was very folicitous to get into Port
Defire, that I might put her hold in order, and take in fuffi-
cient ballaft, to avoid the danger o f being caught upon a lee
lhore in her prefent trim. We fleered in for the land with
the wind at N.E. and in the evening brought to; but the
wind coming to the weftward, we were driven off in the
night. At feven the next morning, we flood in. again» Monday 19-
fleering S. W. by S. by the compafs, and Ibon perceived the
fea to break right ahead o f us ; w.e immediately founded,
and Ihoaled our water from thirteen to feven fathom,, foon
after deepening it again from feventeen to forty-two ; fo that
we went over die end o f a fhoal, which a little farther to the
northward might have been fatal to us, Cape Blanco at this
time bore W. S. W. i S. diftant four leagues?-, but we were
ftill at a- lofs. for Port Defire, it being impoflible that any de-
fcription fhouldbe more confufed than that which Sir John
Narborough has given o f this harbour. I flood into a bay
to the fouthward o f the Cape, as he directs, but could finds
no fitch place; I therefore flood along the.lhore to the fouthiwardj,