* 79*-
Thurfday 9.
Sunday 12.
Tuefday 28,
■ 'From the equator, with a brilk trade wind, we fleered with a full fail
and flowing fheet; which by the iff of june brought us to the latitude of
7°52'fouth, longitude 29° 7 'weft; whence we ceafed ftretching further
to the weftward, and made a courfe good a few degrees to the eaftward
Of fouth ; fo that on the gth we had reached the latitude of ig° 47' fouth,
longitude 270 27' weft, approaching to the parallel of the iflands Trina-
dada and Martin Vas. The wind now permitted our fleering well to the
eaftward of fouth; but left an error fhould havé exifted in our longitude,
or in that of thofe iflands, I direfted the Chatham to increafe her diftance
from us by holding a fouth courfe, for the purpófe of gaining a view
of that land; by fun-fet we Were in the latitude of 20' 9' fouth, the
parallel of thofe iflands, but faw nothing of them. The longitude of the
former is ftated to be 28° 50', that of the latter 28° 34' weft; allowing
their longitude, and that of the Ihip, to have been accurately afcertained,
we palfed them at the diftance of 24 and ig leagues. . V ^ ~ , , .
On the 1 2th we crofted the fouthern tropic in 25118' weft longitude; the
variation of the compafs had now gradually décreafed to 4°go' weftward-.
ly, and having, lately taken many very good lunar diftances of the fun and
ftars on different fides of the moon, I affumed their mean refult as the true
longitude, or nearly f o ; by which, the obfervations for the longitude,
according to the chronometer, appeared to be 14' 25" too far to the eaftward
; whence it fhould appear, that it was not gaining quite fo much as
had been allowed in confequence of its rate, as afcertained at Portfmouth.
After crofting the tropic of Cancer, the wind became very variable, as
well in point of ftrength as in direction, fo that on the 28th we had only
advanced to the latitude of 31° 56' fouth, longitude 4° 18' weft.
The weather was in general very pleafant: and the Chatham, to ottr
great mortification, continued to fail equally flow in light as in frefh gales,
which materially affefted the progrefs o f our voyage ; the obje£t of which
was o f fuch a nature that it would allow of no opportunity being paffed
by, that, with propriety, could be embraced for the advancement of geography
and navigation; and as Captain Cook’s chart of the Sandwich
iflands prefented little field for any improvement that could occupy the
feveral winters we were likely to pafs in their vicinity, I refolved in our
way
Imlî
way to the pacific ocean to vifit the s.w. part o f New Holland, and endeavour
to acquire fome information of that unknown, though interefting
country. Having much bufinefs to perform at the cape of Good Hope
in the carpenter’s department, it became expedient, for the carrying into
execution the whole of my plan, that no time fhould be loft; particularly
as our paffage from England had already exceeded the limits of my
expeftations. Thefe reafons induced me to make the belt of our way
in the Difcovery to the cape of Good Hope, and fhould the Chatham be
able to keep up with us, file was direfted fo to do; if otherways, Mr.
Broughton was provided with fufficient inftructions.
The wind was light and variable, until the iff july, in latitude 33“ 54'
fouth, longitude 58' 40" weft, it blew a fine gale from the n .n . e . attended
with pleafant weather; the Chatham until this evening remained in
fight, but in the morning was not within the limits of our horizon. As
we approached the African fhore the weather became very unfettled, with
fudden tranfitions from calms to heavy gales, attended with much thunder,
lightning, and a heavy fwell from the weftward and s.w. .One of thefe
gales, on the 5th, reduced us for a few hours to our courfes. The wind
became fouthwardly with pleafant weather on the 7th, when a ftrange
fail was defcried to the N. e . holding a courfe, as if intending to pafs
the Cape, and fome . of us thinking the fea was difcoloured, we tried for
foundings, but found no bottom with 140 fathoms of line. After pafling
the 27° of fouth latitude, many oceanic birds were our conftant companions,
confifting of three kinds of albatroffes, the quebrantahueffos,
pintadoes, the footy, the black, and fmall blue petrels, with fome few
other fmall birds of the fame tribe; amongfl: which were but few of the
ftorm petrel, which in thefe regions are generally numerous. Mod of
thefe, by the 7 th, had difappeared, and, in their place, were feen the blue
petrel of the larger fort, though comparatively in fmall numbers; at
noon the. obferved latitude was 350 13’ fouth, longitude 14a eaft. The
wind’ blew a ftrong gale from w. s. w. in the afternoon of the 8th, when
judging the cape of Good Hope to bear from us N . 66 e . true, diftant
1-8 leagues, we experienced, for the [pace- of about feven miles, a moft
extraordinary agitation in the fea, comparable only to a large cauldron of
boiling
Friday i.
Tuefday 5.
Thurfday 7,
Friday 8.