than the Difcovery, and this will ferve to account for her progrefs
having been fo very frequently interrupted. For fixteen days together
Mr. Puget had been under the neceffity of keeping in the dead
lights, and from the violence of her motion her decks and fides had become
open and fo leaky, that his people were conftantly in a wet humid
ftate when they retired from the deck, on which, previoufly to their
making cape Horn, five men only in a watch were able to do duty ;
the reft being rendered incapable of it by rheumatic complaints. Velfels-
of the Chatham’s fize fhould certainly make choice of the fummer feafon
fo infure a good palfage round the-fouthern promontory of America.;
for although the prevailing winds in the winter months of may, june;
and july, may expedite their voyage, yet this; advantage is more than
counterbalanced by the Ihortnefs of the days,' the feverity of the climate,
and the very ftormy weather which is attendant on this time of the year,;
this Mr. Puget reprefented as having had the effeft of keeping the Chatham,
comparatively fpeaking, almoft under water during the greater
part of the palfage, in which he ftated, that nothing of importance had
occurred fince the period of our reparation, and that the reafon why our
laft fignals were not anfwered on. the night of the 8th- of June, was, that
the fupply of falfe fire on board the Chatham was at that time totally
expended. From Mr. Puget I alfo. underftood,. that in and about the
latitude afligned to La Roche’s ifla Grande, the Chatham, like the Difcovery,
had been vifited by a great number of birds, which, with fome
fea weed, were the only indications he had noticed of the vicinity of
land.
My firft care was to take lucli precautions on' our arrival at St. Helena,
as were moft likely to prove efficacious in prefe-rving to' the crews
of both velfels. that ineftimable bleffmg, health,-of which, on board the
Difcovery, we were in fuch complete enjoyment. For this purpofe fome
frelh provifions were procured from the illand, and occafionally ferved
to both. Ihips- companies, with, a plentiful fupply of efculent vegetables .;
ihe convalefcents from the Chatham were lent on fhore, and fuch regulations
were adopted as. appeared to be, in my judgment, moft likely to
inline this defirable objeft ; which, at all times, and on all. occafions,
throughout
R O U N D t h e w o r l d . 475
throughout the voyage, had been a confideration with me of the firft neceffity
and higheft importance.
: After thefe arrangements were made, the obfervatory, as ufual, was
committed to the charge of Mr. Whidbey; and now that the Ihip was
ftationary, the carpenters were employed in fearching for the leak in
the fore part of the veffel, which, at times, during our late palfage from
Valparaifo, had greatly increafed our labours, by our efforts to keep
the Ihip free from the great quantity of water which it admitted. Not-
withftanding that our main yard had, by great care and attention, brought
us fafely thus far, yet, as I found it would be poflible to procure a new
one at St. Helena, meafures were inftantly taken for replacing it with
one, on which we could more fecurely. depend ; whilft other parts of the
crew were employed in the neceffary duties about the Ihip, and in. obtaining
a full fupply of water.
According to our reckoning, this day was monday the 6th o f july, but
at St. Helena we found it (agreeably to our calculations) to be only fun-
day the 5th of ju ly : for, by our having failed, round the. world in an
eaftern dire&ion, we had, fince our departure from England, gained
one day-, but as it was now. become expedient that we fhould fubfcribe to
the eftimation of time, as underftood. by Europeans and the reft of the
civilized world,, to which we were now fall approaching,, our former
reckoning was abandoned, the day we had gained dropped, and, after
noon this day, we recommencedfunday the 5th o f july.
His Majefty’s Ihip the Sphinx, commanded by Captain Brifac, arrived
on tuefday, charged with difpatches from Admiral Sir George Keith EI-
phinftone* to General Clarke at St. Salvador, on the coaft of Brafil,
who, with his army-, was waiting at that port, until he fhould receive
inftruftions .'from Sir George that might enable him to cooperate with
that admiral in the redu&ion'of the cape of Good Hope. A convoy,
I underftood, was foon expefted to fail from St. Salvador, and as I had
reafon to believe the Chatham’s re-equipment would not take more than
a week, I determined to fend her thither for the purpofe of going with
the firft convoy which fhould fail from thence to England, and that I
would be content to remain here until fome Britilh veffel of force lhould
2 p 2 touch
Monday 6,
now by due
regulation of
our time
becomes
Sunday 5.
Tuefday 7.
* Now Lord
Keith.