■ 773’ no great extent. And it was juft as probable I might have
February. 0 ^— ,---i found it to the Eaft as Weft.
Saturday 6»
While we were plying about here we took every opportunity
to obferve the variation of the compafs, and found it to
be from 270 50', to 3©0 26' Weft. Probably the mean of the
two extremes, viz. 29° 4', is the neareft the truth, as it nearly
agrees with the variation obferved on board the Adventure.
In making thefe obfervations, we found that, when the fun
was on the ftarboard fide of the ill ip, the variation was the
leaft j and when on the larboard fide, the greateft, This
was not the firft time we had made this obfervation, without
being able to account for it. At four o’clock in the morn-
Sanday 7. ing of the yth, I made the Adventure’s fignal to keep at
the diftance of four miles on my ftarboard beam; and continued
to fleer E. S. E. This being a fine day, I had all our
men’s bedding and cloaths fpread on deck to air; and the
fhip cleaned and fmoked betwixt decks. At noon I fleered
a point more to the South, being then in the latitude of 48°
49' South, longitude 6i° 48' Eaft. At fix o’clock in the evening,
I called in the Adventure; and, at the fame time, took
feveral azimuths, which gave the variation 3,1° 28' Weft.
Thefe obfervations could not be taken with the greateft accuracy,
on account of the rolling of the fhip, occafioned by
a very high wefterly fwell.
The preceding evening, three Port Egmont hens were*
feen | this morning another appeared. In the evening, and
feveral times in the night, penguins were heard 5 and, at
Monday 8. day-light, in the morning of the 8th, feveral of thefe were
feen; and divers of two forts, feemingly fuch as are ufually
met with on the coaft of England. This occafioned us to-
found ; but we-found no ground with a line of 3.10 fathoms..
Our
Our latitude now was 490 53' South, and longitude 63° 39' gV»r _
Eaft. This was at eight o’clock. By this time the wind '---- -— *
1 - i i . _ Monday 8« had veered round by the N. E. to E., blew a bnlk gale, and
was attended with hazy weather, which foon after turned
to a thick fo g ; and, at the fame time, the wind Ihifted to
N. E.
I continued to keep the wind on the larboard tack, and to
fire a gun every hour till noon ; when I made the fignal to
tack, and tacked accordingly. But, as neither this fignal,
nor any of the former, was anfwered by the Adventure, we
had but too much reafon to think that a feparation had taken
place; though we Were at a lofs to tell how it had been
effected. I had directed Captain Furneaux, in cafe he was
feparated from me, to cruize three days in the place where
he laft faw me. I therefore continued making fhort boards,
and firing half-hour guns, till the 9th in the afternoon, Tuefday 9,
when, the weather having cleared up, we could fee feveral
leagues round us, and found that the Adventure was not
within the limits of our horizon. At this time, we were about
two or three leagues to the eaftward of the fituation we were
in when we laft faw her ; and were ftanding to the weft-
ward with a very ftrong gale at N. N. W., accompanied with
a great fea from the fame direction. This, together with
an increafe of wind, obliged us to lie to, till eight o’clock wednef. 10.
the next morning; during which time we faw nothing of
the Adventure, notwithftanding the weather was pretty
clear, and we had kept firing guns, and burning falfe fires,
all night. I therefore gave over looking for her, made fail,
and fleered S. E. with a very frefh gale at W. by N.,~ accompanied
with a high fea from the fame direction.
H 2 While