l i l
jo8
»793- February.
Friday 8.
Monday i
Tuefday i
A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
the coaft of New Albion. No bird, filh, or other objeft occurred to
attrafl our attention, befide two tropic birds, one booby, about as
many petrels, and three or four porpoifes; thefe and our little confort
excepted, the heavens and the ocean gave uninterrupted limits to our
fight. The latter however caufed us great inconvenience, by means! o f
a very heavy and irregular fwell, chiefly from the N.w. which gave
the {hip fuch a labouring uneafy motion, as to render the tranfa&ing
of all fedentary bufinefs almoft impoflible. A t the clofe of day there was.
no appearance of thefe iflands fo far as could be feen a-head, and as
we had now pafled fome diftance to the weftward, I concluded, they
could have no exiftence in the neighbourhood of the fpot alfigned to
them, and for that reafon I relinquifhed any further fearch, and made
the bell of our way towards Owhyhee..
On this occafion it is but juft to obferve, that the Spanifh lea officers:
have no faith in the exiftence of thefe iflands'; the only authority which-
they are acquainted with for their infection in the Spanifh charts, is their
having been fo found in a chart of the pacific ocean, conftrufled many
years ago by an old pilot who had frequently pafled between South
America and the Philippines, and whofe Ikill and obfervation had acquired
him much reputation and credit in his profeflion; but as the fpot in
which they were placed was totally out of his path, it was- generally be-,
lieved by the Spanilh officers that he had laid them down from the authority
of others.
The variation in the afternoon had been obferved to be eaftwardly.
The trade wind blew only a gentle breeze, and fo continued until the
8th, when we had a fine frelh gale; but. were reduced to our topfails
for the purpofe o f keeping company with the Chatham. The obferved
latitude on the n th was ig° 34', and the true longitude 207* 20';
the frelh gale continued from about the n . e „ the weather fqually with
thick mill and much rain. We however made a tolerable progrefs till
two the next morning, when, not wilhing with fuch uncertain weather
to run our obfervations too clofe, we hauled to the wind under an eafy
fail to wait for day-light, when we again made fa il; and at nine in the
forenoon
forenoon faw the eall end o f Owhyhee, bearing by compafs s. 60 e.
° A February.
diftant 7 leagues.. i . ^ ,
My intention was, that Mr. Puget in the Chatham fhould examine the
coaft of this illand, from its eall point fouthward round to Karakakooa
bay ; whilft we were employed on the Purvey of its Ihores in the oppofite
direélion. By thefe means the whole coaft o f the illand would be afcer-
tained, with all its bays, harbours, or roadfteads ; and every other information
that circumftances could admit of, would thus be acquired.
The Difcovery was brought to, for the purpofe of communicating thefe
direÊlions. to Mr. Puget; after which we feparated and purfued our re-
fpeftive courfes-
The obferved latitude at noon was 19" 40'; at this: time the eall point
of Owhyhee bore by compafs s. 30 w „ at the diftance of feven miles,
and was placed, by our chronometers according to Kendall’s per Nbot-
ka rate, in the longitude of 205*4o'-§-; by the Monterrey rate 206° 49';
Arnold’s No. 82, on board the Chatham, per Nootka rate,, 205° 45'; per
Monterrey rate 205° i 8; Arnold’s No. 14, per Monterrey rate, 205°4t'
30"; No. 176, by the fame rate, 205°3i'3o"; Earnlhaw’s per Monterrey
rate, 205“ 13' 30"; and my own laft lunar obfervations brought forward,
by Earnlhaw’s watch, 205° 19' 13". This point is placed by Captain
Cook in 205° 6', which being efteemed by me to be the true longitude
{hews the errors of the feveral chronometers during this paflage.
Our courfe was now direfled towards the north-eaft point of this illand,
which forms the eaft point of a very deep Bay. Into this we fleered,
as far as was prudent, to avoid being imbayed, as the wind blew a
frelh gale direftly on the lhore; and though we were fufficiently near
its fouthfirn parts to fee the furf break with great violence, yet fo denfe
was the haze, in which the land was enveloped, that it was impoflible
to diftinguilh any objeft on lhore. A low projefting point was indiftindl-
ly feen, where the breakers appeared to fall back from their northern
direftion; beyond this point they were not vifible from the deck, until
we drew near to the northern fide o f the B a y ; here we brought
to, about four o’clock, within two miles of the north-eaft point, in
thé hope of feeing fome of the natives, but being difappointed, we
2 made