Ac7gn9a. Srces. Our latitude was 38°-20'S, our longitude, by log,
147“ 6' W. and the variation of the needle, by the azimuth,
7° 9 E. Among- others that obferved the comet, was Tupia,
who inftantly cried out, that as foon as it fliould be feen by
the people of Bolabola, they would kill the inhabitants of
Ulietea, who would with the utmoft precipitation fly to the
mountains.
r* C b" ‘ ° n the lft 0f SePtcmber> being in the latitude o f 40« 22' S.
and longitude 1740 29' W. and there not being any figns of
land, with a heavy fea from the weftward, and ftrong gales,
I wore, and flood hack to the northward, fearing that we
might receive fuch damage In our fails and rigging, as
would hinder the profecution of the voyage.
Saturday a. On the next day, there being ftrong. gales to the weftward,
I brought to, with the fhip’s head to the northward; but in
Sunday 3 the morning of the 3d, the wind being more moderate, we
loofened the reef of the main-fail, fet the top-fails, and plied
to the weftward.
Tucfday 19. We continued our courfe till the 19th, when our latitude
being 29°.and our longitude 1790 29', we obferved the vari-
Suiiday 24. ation to be 8D 32' E. On the 24th, being in latitude 330 18', •
longitude 162° 51', we obferved a fmall piece of fea weed, and
a piece of wood covered with barnacles: the variation here
was to0 48' E.
Wednef. 27. On the 27th, being in latitude 28° 59', longitude i 69 ° ƒ , we‘
Taw a feal afleep upon the water, and feveral bunches of fea
ThurfdayzS. weed. The next day we fawmore fea weed in bunches, and
Friday 29. on the 29th, a bird, which we thought a land bird ; It fome-
oacber what refembled a fnipe, but had a ihort bill. On the ift of
Sunday 1. Otflober, we faw birds innumerable, and another feal afleep
upon the water; it is a general opinion that feals never go
out of foundings, or far from land, but thofe that we faw-in
6 thefe
thefe feas prove the contrary. Rock-weed is, however, a , ^769-
certain indication that land is not far diftant. The next day, 1---- ,—
it being calm, we hoifted out the boat, to try whether there Mooday 2‘
was a current, but found none. Our latitude was 370 10',
longitude 172“ 54'W. On the 3d, being in latitude 36° 56', Tuefday 3.
longitude 173° 27", we took up more fea-weed, and another
piece of wood covered with barnacles. The next day we Wednef. 4.
faw two more feals, and a brown bird, about as big as a
raven, with fome white feathers under the wing. Mr. Gore
tpld us, that birds of this kind were feen in great numbers
about Falkland’s Iflands, and our people gave them the name
o f Port-Egmont hens.
On the 5th, we thought the water changed colour, but Thurfdays.
upon calling the lead, had no ground with 180 fathom. In
the evening of this day, the variation was 120 50' E. and
while we were going nine leagues it encreafed to 14” 2'.
On the next day, Friday, October the 6th, we faw land from Friday 6.
the maft-head, bearing W. by N. and flood direftly for i t ; in
the evening it could juft be difcerned from the deck, and
appeared large. The variation this day was, by azimuth
and amplitude, i504 'f E. and by obfervation made of the
fun and moon, the longitude of the fhip appeared to be
180” 5s' W. and by the medium of this and fubfequent ob-
fervations, there appeared to be an error in the lhip’s account
of longitude during her run from Otaheite of 30 16', Ihe
being fo much to the weftward of the longitude refulting
from the log. At midnight, I brought to and founded, but
had no ground with one hundred and feventy fathom.
On the 7th, it fell calm, we therefore approached the land Saturday 7.
llowly, and in the afternoon, when a breeze fprung up, we
were ftill diftant feven or eight'leagues. It appeared ftill
larger as it was more diftinctly feen, with four or five ranges
V ol. II. O o ' of