Saturday &2.
A V O Y A G E O F D I S C O V E R Y
35° of latitude, and in longitude 196^", it veered round by the eaft to
the fouth, and on the next day it feemed to be fixed in the weftern quarter,
accompanied with dark gloomy weather, and a very heavy fea from
the north and N.w., which-had been frequently the cafe fince our leaving
the iflands.
Eut few ,of the. black .and white albatroffes, petrels, or othersof. the
feathered tribe had attended us. In the evening the wind fluffed to the
Monday 24. N. N. E . , 'where it continued with gloomy weather until inOnday, when it
fixed in the s. e., and blew a frelh gale with the fame darkgloOtny wea-
Tucfday 23. ther. A few intervals of fun-fhine enabled us on the following day to
afcertain the latitude to be 39° 3V longitude 198° 46'; and the variation
of the compafs ig° 42', eaftwardly. This was an increafe in the variation
far beyond our expe&ations; but as thefe were the firft obfervations
we had been enabled to make for this purpofe fince our departure from
the Sandwich iflands, it is probable the increafe had been gradual to this
flation. Our climate was alfo greatly-changed, the thermometer during
the laft week having fallen from 76 to 50; but the barometer having been
unfortunately broken, I had no means of afcertaining the other proper^
ties of the air. The foutherly gale produced a fmooth fea, and as towards
night we approached the parallel where Captain Cook had noticed
feme indications of the vicinity o f land, we flood to and fro under an
Wednef. 26. eafy fail until the morning of the 26th, when with a ftrong gale from the
weftward we paffed about 15 leagues to the north-weftward of the Refo-
lution’s track in the year 1778. Throughout the day the weather was
clear, which enabled us to gain a diflant view in all direftions, but nothing
was feen to intercept the horizon. The latitude at noon was 40°
45', which Was extremely well afeertained by good obfervations. The
longitude 200° 17' was deduced from altitudes of the fun, and from the
chronometers both before and after mid-day, when the variation was
found to be 15° 43' eaftwardly. Few oceanic birds vifited us in this fitu-
ation. Two pieces of drift wood were paffed this day; one piece appeared
to have been a‘ ‘great length of time in the Water; as’ it fwam very
deep, and was nearly covered with barnacles; the other was much more;
buoyant, and'had on it but few of thofe ftrell fiflv Thefe-were the only
pieces
pieces of drift wood, and the only indications of the vicinity of land, feen
by Us between the Sandwich iflands and the American coaft. I was, however,
afterwards informed by Mr. Puget, that in his pafting thefe regions
between the 37th and-39th degrees of latitude, about 4 degrees to the
weftward of our track, he faw, befides petrels and other oceanic birds,
puffins, and a bird of the diver kind; and that for a few hours, in the Ia-
1 794-
March.
titude of about 39°, the furface'of the fea was remarkably fmooth. Meffrs;
Portlock and Dixon alfo in their voyage, in two fimilar paffages about
the fame latitude, and in longitude 206°, faw feals, puffins, and other
indications, that induced them to think fome undifeovered land was not
far remote; but the weather being then, as it was alfo at the time of the
Chatham’s pafting, very foggy, this fa£l could not be afeertained. As
fuch indications are by no ihdatas common in the north pacific, they favor
the conjefture that fome land, though poflibly of no very great extent,
ftill remains unknown to Europeans in this neighbourhood.
With a frefh gale moftly from the weftern quarter, we proceeded rapidly
to the north, and by the following funday reached the latitude of Sunday 30.
56^15', longitude 205° tj; the variation on the preceding afternoon was
16° 29' eaftwardly. The wind had been attended by a very heavy fwell
from the fouth-wqftward; the intervals of clear weather were of fhort
duration, and in general it was very gloomy, with fhoWers of rain fuc-
ceeded by a fall of fnow. The thermometer funk to 35. In the courfe
of the day fome fea weed and fome divers Were obferved; about the fhip
were alfo fome albatroffes and (heer-waters. Our climate now began to
affume a degree of feverity that was new to us; on the next day the mer- Monday 31.
cury flood at the freezing point, and for the firft time during the voyage
the fcuttle calk on deck was frozen.
After a few hours calm the wind fettled in the n. e ., attended with APril-
froft and fnow until the 2d of april, when in latitude 55* 43', longitude Wed'iST*
2O4 ,3, it veered to the n.w ., and blew fo ftrong a gale that in the
evening we whre reduced to clofe-reefed topfails. Thefroft, with much
fnow and fleet, cafed our rigging in ice; the thermometer flood at 26°.
H the forenoon of the 3d a {hag paffed the {hip,'flying to the eaft ward, Thurfday3,
andabout-three in the afternoon, high land almoft intirely covered with
fnow