A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
After the weather had been calm, or nearly fo, during the greater part
of the 17th and 18th, the wind fixed in the northern board, and varied
little between n . n . e . and n . by w . This obliged us to Hand to the
eaftward, and I was not without hope, that in cafe it fhould continue
fo until we made the coaft o f New Albion, we (hould there have more
favorable opportunities o f advancing to the northward. This opinion
was founded on the experience we derived the laft. fpring, when clofe in
with its fhores,
A continuation of the fame gloomy unpleafant weather ftill attended
us, with an increafe o f wind that fometimes obliged us to take in the
Monday 22. third reefs in our topfails. The crofs-jack yard having been carried
away, it was replaced on monday by a fpare maintop-fail yard. A t this
time we were rendered very uncomfortable by the increafing from two
or three inches to upwards o f a foot per hour o f a leak that had been
difcovered a few days after we had left the Sandwich iflands, and had
been fufpe&ed to have arifen from fome defect in the bows; the water
in this quantity had not only found its way into the well, but had alfo
filled the coal hole up to thé deck, which could fcarcely be kept under
by conftant baling, and from thence had reached the magazine, where I
was apprehenfive fome of the powder might receive material damage.
A t noon our obferved latitude was 38° 54'; longitude by Kendall’s chronometer,
228°21’ ; Arnold’s No. 14, 228*8'; and No. 176, 229" 25'. ,
Tue&y 23.. The jib-boom and foretop-gallant-maft were the next morning carried
away, and at day-light the foretop-maft crofs-tree was alfo found broken;
thefe were immediately replaced; and the fame unfavorable winds and
unpleafant weather ftill continued; which however brought us, on the
Friday 26. evening o f the 26th, within fight o f cape Mendocino, bearing by com-
pafs N. e . by N. 7 or 8 leagues diftant. The leak in the fhip’s bows,
though daily increafing when the wind blew ftrong, we had every reafon
to believe was above water, as in light winds no ill effects were produced
from it, and therefore no material confequerices were apprehended.
It may not be improper to notice, that we found the medufa villilia,
though not without fome intervals o f clear fpaces, exifting on the fur-
face o f the ocean from the place where they were firft obferved on the
8th o f this month, to within about 40 leagues o f our then fituation. At
eight
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . 239
' 793*
April.
eight in the evening we tacked and flood off the land. The wind at
N.w. by N. increafed very much; but as the fea was fmooth, I was flattered
with the hope o f making fome progrefs by turning to windward
along the lhore, and tacking occafionally as advantages were prefented.
The obferved latitude at noon the next day was 39° 54', fo that we had Saturday 27.
gained only 4 leagues to the northward in twenty-four hours.
The land was not in fight, nor could we obtain any obfervations for
the chronometers. On winding them up, it appeared that Earnlhaw’s
had intirely flopped about eight hours after it was wound up the preceding
day. I repeated my efforts, to put it again in motion, but did
not fucceed; and as its cafes were fecured by a fcrew, to which there was
no correfponding lever in the box that contained it, I concluded that in
the event of any accident, it was Mr. Earnfhaw’s wilh that no attempt
fhould be made to remedy i t ; it was therefore left for the examination
and repair o f its ingenious maker. I had for fome time fufpected fome
thing was wrong in this excellent little watch. On its firft eoming on
board it beat much louder than any of the others, and fo continued
until we quitted the Sandwich iflands, when it gradually decreafed in its
tone until it became weaker than any of them; from whence I was
led to conje&ure, that probably too much oil had been originally applied,
which was now congealed, and clogged the works.
We continued to ply with adverfe winds to little effefi. On the 29th Monday 29.
we had only reached the latitude o f 40° 16'. The weather was ferene
and pleafant, and although the thermometer flood at 55°, the air was
fharp. The promontories o f cape Mendocino, bore by compafs at four
in the afternoon from eaft to N. 25 e. ; this, agreeably to the fituation
affigned to thole points on our former vifits, placed the fhip in latitude
40“ 22', and in longitude 235° 42'. Our obfervations placed the fhip. at
this time in latitude 40° 21K, longitude by Kendall’s chronometer, 234°
20' 45", Arnold’s No. 14, 234° 1.4' 45", and by his No. 176, 236*4';
hence, according to their rates as fettled at Karakakooa, Kendall’s appeared
to be i° 21' 15", and Arnold’s No. 14, to be 1“ 27' 15", to the
weftward of the truth; and No. 176, 22' to the eaftward o f the truth.
The variation o f the compafs was 16° 20', eaftwardly. Such had been
the