179'- gale had fufficiently moderated to admit the fpreading of all our canvafs;
i i at noon the obfervèd latitude was 48° 18', longitude 169° 33'. I cannot
avoid here mentioning the concern I felt in beholding the laft of our fheep
thrown overboard; the race of animals of the brute creation on board
the Difcovery, had certainly been very ill fated; out of thirty (heep taken
on board at Portfmouth, no more than two came to the table, thé reft
died before we reached the equator; nor were we much more fortunate
in the like number of wethers received at the Cape; two thirds
o f thefe, with fe-ven ewes and fix rams, intended as prefents to our friends
in the South-Sea iflands, were at this time dead; notwithftanding they
were all taken on board in exceedingly high condition, and had neither
wanted care, plenty of wholefome food, nor good lodging.
With a pleafant, favorable - gale-; fometimes in the N.w. but chiefly
December. from the -S.-W. quarter, and with tolerably fine weather, we flood to the
Thurfday8.J e .n .e ; ; and made fuch progrefs, that by noon on the 8th of december
we had reached the latitude of 37° 27'; longitude 207° 14'. The wind
veered round to the north with a moderate breeze, attended by dark
Saturday 10. gloomy weather and fome ram. On faturday we were furrounded by a
very thick fog, which, with much rain at intervals, continued until the
Tuefday 13. 13th; when having a fine breeze at s. s.w. the fog. cleared away,. but
it ftill remained very cloudy. We were however enabled to afcertain our
fituation for the firft time fince the 8th, to be in latitude 36° 13', longitude
214° 33', varying fince that day 53' more to the north, and 28° 28'
more to the eaft, than was Ihewn by the log. We flood to the north,
under' all the fail we could fpread, but were not fuffered long to pur-
fue this courfe. In the latitude of 3l°43', longitude 214°11', at noon on
Thursday 15. the 15th the wind veered round, and fettled between the n .e . and n .n . e .-,
obliging us to ply with a moderate breeze to the northward; in doing
Saturday 17. which fo little was gained, that on faturday we had, only reached the
latitude of 3i°8;, longitude 214034’. The wind now blew a frefh gale
from the north, the topfails were reefed, the Weather was very dark,
gloomy, and exceflively fultry, with continued lightning and thunder
at fome diftance, until the morning ; when the wind died away, and in
its ftead, extremely vivid forked lightning, with inceflant peals o f thunSunday
i8.
Tuefday 20,
der, accompanied by torrents of rain, attended us, without intermiffion,
until funday noon. The thunder and lightning then ceafed, but the
rain ftill continued ; and, contrary to our expe&ation, the wind refumed
its n.n.e. direftion, and blew fo hard as to make the ftriking our topgallant
yards neceflary. A remarkably fmooth fea, with heavy, damp,
clofe, cloudy weather, and little alteration in the wind, attended Us until
the 20th ; it then moderated, and the top-gallant fails were fpread.
Since the 17th we had not obtained any correfl obfervations ; but, by
our reckoning, the latitude at noon was 30° 17', longitude 2150 22'.
Although the wind from the north and n.n.e . was attended with fudden
and violent flurries, yet the fea continued fmooth, which indicated, that land,
probably of fome extent, exifted not very far diftant in that direftion.
After nopn, we flood to the eaftward about four leagues ; when, fudden-
ly, a very heavy fwell was met from n.n.e . which was foon followed by
fuch an increafe of wind from that quarter, as reduced us to our clofe -
reefed topfails. This gale, which proved the breaking up of the northerly
wind, was of fhort duration : in the evening it moderated, and
veered round by the eaft to the s. s .w . We made all fail to the north by
weft ; but it was not until the wind became a very frefh breeze, that we
were enabled to fleer that courfe againft the northerly fwell, which drove
the fhip aftern. This evening there were lèverai fmall white tern hovering
about the fhip,, feemingly with great inclination to alight on board.
On wednefday morning, the head fea had for the moft part fubfided, Wednef. 21.
and the wind feemed to have fettled in the fouthern quarter ; and blowing
a gentle breeze with very pleafant weather, enabled me to obtain fix fets
o f lunar diftances, whofe mean refult reduced to noon gave the longitude
2150 22'45".' The chronometer, by the laft rate fhewed 215° ïöfjg",
the latitude was which was, at this time, 6' further north than
we expefted.
We continued our route to the northward ; which, with a gentle gale
at s.s.e. and pleafant weather, brought us, by day-light on the 22d, ijl Thurfday 22»
fight of land, bearing-by compafs n.e. §-n. At firft it appeared like
three fmall high iflands, the eafternmoft much refembling a veffel under
fail. This land being at a confiderable diftance from the tracks of former
.Vo l . I. L navigators, -