26 A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
s 1?9'be any other perfon on board. He was an exceedingly good man, and his
i. — f—j lofs was fenfibly felt, and much regretted. In addition to this calamity,
difafters of the fame nature feemed not likely to terminate : another of
our people, who had fuffered very feverely by this dreadful contagion, but
who was fo much recovered as to be nearly equal to his duty, was fo af-
fefted by his poor fellow’s dilfolution, that he relapfed with very unfavorable
fymptoms. Our convalefcents were ftill numerous; and the
work of death having commenced, we knew not where it might end, or
where we could recruit the ftrength which we might thus lofe; our whole
complement being fcarcely equal, when in the higheft health, to the fervice
we had to perform. One refleftion was, however, highly fatisfaftory;
that, in point o f comfort, and profellional afliftance, no one thing within
our power to fupply, had been omitted for the prefent relief of the dif-
trefs, or for the prevention of any melancholy confequences in future;
and we trailed,. with the Divine blefling, and a Heady adherence to the
conduft, which we had obferved, finally to fubdue and extirpate this
dreadful malady, -
Thurfday 8. In the evening o f the 8th I .took fome lunar diltances with the liar
Antares, which, with thofe taken on the 5th, Ihewed the longitude by
their mean refult, to be 73° 44'; the chronometer by the Portfmouth
rate 730 1', and by the Cape ..rate -73° 27?} the .latitude 38° 45'iiiand the
variation 230 36' weftwardly.
Friday 9. The next evening, agreeably to our reckoning, we were palling between
the illands o f St. Paul and Amllerdam, diftant from the latter
about five or fix leagues. The weather was thick and rainy, yet I continued
to hope that.a favorable interval would enable us to fee one or
both of thefe illands, having fleered this eaftwardly courfe with a wilh
to correft -an error that appears in captain Cook’s charts of the fouthern
hemifphere. In thefe the illand of St. Paul is laid down in the latitude
of 370 50', correfponding with the fituatiori afligned to it in the- requifite
tables ; and to the north of this illand, in about the latitude of 36° 40' is
placed another called the illand of Amllerdam: now the illand which
Mr. Cox in the Mercury flopped at, and called Amllerdam, is in light
of and lituated 17 leagues to the Jouth of the illand of St. Paul.
. Captain
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 27
Captain Bligh, in the Bounty, alfo faw the fame illand, and allots to it '79‘-
1 ■ J _ September.
nearly the fame ntuation as does Mr. Cox. For thefe reafons, if there »—-y— >
be an illand to the north of St. Paul, in latitude 36° 40', there mull be
three inftead of two of thefe illands, which I believe has never been under-
flood tobe die fa£t. The weather, however, precluded my forming a juft
opinion as to this point, which I fully intended to afcertain, could we have
feen either of the illands ; but the rain and haze continuing to obfcure
every objeft at the diftance of two leagues, we perceived no indication
of the vicinity o f land, notwithftanding the immenfe number of whales
and feals which are faid to frequent thefe .illands. O f the latter we did not
fee any, and of the former but one; which was the only whale we had
obferved fince that mentioned on the 23d of laft month. From hence
towards the coaft of New Holland, our courfe was direfted between the
tracks of Dampier and M. Marion, over a fpace, I believe, hitherto unfrequented.
In this route, alfifted by a fine gale between north and
w . N.w. we made great progrefs, fo that our . obferved latitude on the
18th was 36° 49', longitude- io3°48': for fome days pall we had experi- Sunday 18.
enced a very heavy fwell from the s.w. though the wind prevailed from
the northward.
The lituation of that part of New Holland for which we were now fleering,
being ill defined, and a probability, exifting that banks might extend
a confiderable diftance into the ocean, we tried, but gained no foundings
with 1 80 fathoms of line. On the 19th, in latitude 36°45', longitude Monday 19.
105° 47', the variation Was obferved to be 140 10' weftwardly. The wind
at n .n . e . attended with heavy fqualls and rain, increafed with fuch violence,
as to oblige us to ftrike the top-gallant malls, and to furl the top-
fails. The pintado birds that, for fome days pall, had nearly difappeared,
again vilited the Ihip, accompanied by a great variety of the petrel
tribe, with fome albatrolfes; and it now feemed evident, that the appearance
of thefe inhabitants of the ocean, was increafed in point o f
numbers and in variety, in proportion to the violence of the wind; as
in moderate weather few only were vifible. We continued to try for
foundings at certain intervals, but did not reach bottom at the depth of
180 fathoms. The wind at w. s.w. blew a ftrong gale, and the night
E 2 of