424 A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
1-7JS.
Ottober.
Saturday in .
Monday 29.
November.
Saturday. 3.
Sunday 4-
by faturday noon reduced us to our clofe-reefed topfails. The gale
moderated towards midnight, and once more we fpread all our canv&fs
to a moderate breeze, between the fouth and s .e ., which was ftill attended
with a heavy difagreeable crofs fwell, rendering the fhip, with
her then heavy cargo very uneafy. The weather in general was much
more pleafant than that which we had lately experienced, and as the
wind veered, we occafionally tacked to getto the s .e . By thefe means,
on the evening of the 29th, thé coafl: was leen extending by com-
pafs from N. È. by N. to s. e . by E . ; cape Orford bearing E. by N.;
about 4' diftant. By the obfervations made in the courfe of the day,
the latitude of this cape, as before Bated, was found to be correft; the
longitude as at cape Difappointment deviated g miles to the eallward.
The next day. in the afternoon, I made fome further obfervations to
this effeft, (not having proceeded more than 3 or 4 leagues to the
fouthward of the cape), which produced the like refult.. -
The wind continued'nearly in the fame direftion, blowing a moderate
breeze, with pleafant weather; but the very uncomfortable Hate o f the
velfel, in confequence of a difagreeable fwell, was foon. again aggravated
by the increafe of the s . e . wind, which at fun-fet, on the 2d of
november, reduced us to a clofe-reefed topfail and forefail. This gale
was accompanied by a very high fea, which about two o’clock in the
morning carried away our fpritfail yard in the flings. After day-break
the wind Ihifted to the N .w ., with this we.fleered to the s .s .e ., againft
a very heavy head fea, which walhed overboard John Davifon, a feaman,
whilft rigging a new fpritfail yard. This poor fellow being a good
fwimmer was enabled to fupport himfelf until our fmall boat from
the ftern happily picked him up, when nearly exhaufted.
The wind continuing to blow a frelh breeze to the weftward of fouth,
we made a line llant along the coafl, to the fouth-eaftward. The Weather
was delightfully pleafant until near midnight, when the wind'
veered to the s .e ., and by four in the morning its' violence obliged us:
to ftrike the top-gallant malls, and bring the Ihip under the forefail
and ftorm ftayfails; even this low fail was more than prudence could
authorize, yet I was, and had been, throughout the whole of this ftormy
TUI
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 425
my weather, neceflitated to refort to this meafure, left we fhould lofe, 179-- J ; _ . .; ■: November.
in thefe tempeftuous returns, the diftance which the Ihort intervals of >— v— 1
moderate weather permitted us to gain. This gale moderated in the
evening; clofe-reefed topfails were fe t ; towards midnight the wind
veered to the weftward, and the next morning we again flood to the Monday 5.
fouth. The wind between n .w . and w . attended ftill with the fame
heavy irregular fwell, blew a moderate breeze with fair and pleafant
weather, which gave us again on the following dayrnght of the land Tucfday s.
extending by compafs from N. E. by N. to E. -j s'. The fouthernmoft
promontory o f cape Mendocino, n . 40 e, diftant 5 or 6 leagues. At
noon in this lituation our latitude was 40° 10', longitude 2350 33'. From
the obfervations on this occalion, I found the latitude of cape Mendocino
exaftly to correfpond, and fhe longitude to be within 3' of the
polition I had before afligned to if. This circumftance afforded me
much fatisfaftion, as it proved the accuracy o f our furvey in the fpring,
and flattered me with the hope, that future vifitors to this coaft would find
the feveral projefting points, as well to the north of cape Mendocino,
as to the fouth of it, which we were now bound to vilit, laid down with
tolerable accuracy in our chart.
The wind however proved adverfe to our fouthern progrefs ; it again
veered to the s .e . and as ufual was attended with fqualls and torrents of
rain, which kept us under clofe-reefed topfails until wednefday morning, Wednef. 7.
when the gale gradually died away, and was fucceeded by a calm ; the
fame heavy irregular fea, thick weather, and a deluge o f rain continued
until the morning of the 8th, when a gentle breeze fprang up from the Thurfday 8.
n .w . and the atmofphere once more affirmed a clear and pleafant appearance.
We had now pafled to the fouth of cape Mendocino, and \vith this
favorable change in the weather loft not a moment in making all fail
towards the land to the s. e. of the Cape, which at noon was in fight,
extending by compafs from n . by e . to e . by n. ; the neareft fhore bearing'
n . 55 e . about 8 leagues diftant. The latitude obferved was 39° 31',
longitude 2350 48'. We had approached about dark nearly within a
league of the fhore, and as-we had now to commence the examination
V o l . I . 3 I o f
M m