Monday J .
florm, which accordingly happened. For, in the evening,
the wind fhifted to South, blew in fqualls, attended with
fleet and rain, and a prodigious high fea. Having nothing
to take care of but ourfelves, we kept two or three points
from the wind, and run at a good rate to the E, N. E. under
our two courfes, and clofe-reefed top-fails.
Wednef. to. The gale continued till the evening of the roth. Then it
abated ; the wind fhifted to the weftward ; and we had fair
weather, and but little wind, during the night, attended
Thurfday 1.1. with a fharp frolL The next morning, being in the latitude
of 57° longitude 130°, the wind fhifted to N. E., and
blew a frefh gale, with which we flood S. E., having frequent
fhowers of fnow and fleet, and a long hollow fwell
from S.’S. E. and Si E. by S. This fwell did not go down
till two days after the wind which raifed it had not only
ceafed to blow, but had fhifted, and blown frefh at oppofite
points, good part of the time. Whoever attentively con-
fiders this, muft conclude, that there can be no land to the
South, but what muft be at a great diftance.
Notwithftanding fo little was to be expedited in that quarter,
we continued to Hand to the South till three o’clock in
the morning of the 12th, when we were flopped by a calm;
being then in the latitude of 580 56' South, longitude 1310
26' Eaft. After a few hours calm, a breeze fprung up at
Weft, with which we fleered Eaft. The S. S. E. fwell having
gone down, was fucceeded by another from N. W. by W.
The weather continued mild all this day, and the mercury
rofe to .39’. In the evening it fell calm, and continued fo
till three o’clock in. the morning of the 13th, when we got
the wind at Eaft and S. E., a frefh breeze, attended with
fnow and fleet. In the afternoon it became fair, and the
wind
Friday 12.
Saturday 13.
wind veeréd to South and S. S. W. In the evening, being |||||
then in the latitude of y8° 39', longitude 134°, the weather
was fo clear in the horizon, that we could fee many leagues
round us. We had but little wind during the night, fome
fhowers of fnow, and a .very fharp froft. As the day broke, Sunday 14;.:
the windfrefhened at S, E; and S. S. E.; and foon after, the
fky cleared up, and the weather became clear and ferene ;
but the air continued cold, and the mercury in the thermometer
rofe only one degree above the freezing point.
The clear weather gave Mr. Wales an opportunity to ger
fome obfervations-of the fun and moon. Their réfults reduced
to noon, when the latitude was 58° ss' South, gave'
us 136° 22' Baft longitude. Mr. Kendal’s watch, at the fame •
time, gave 1340 42' ; and that of Mr. Arnold, the fame. This-
was the firft, and only time, they pointed out the fame longitude,
fince we left England. The greateft difference; however,
between them, fince we left the Cape, had not much.!
exceeded two degrees.
■ The moderate, and I might almoft fay, pleafant weather,,
we had, at times, for the laft two or three days, made me'
wilh I had been a few degrees of latitude farther South ;
and even tempted me to incline our courfe that way. But
we foon had weather which convinced us that we were full
■ far enough; and that the time was approaching, when
thefe' ■ feaij were not to be navigated without enduring intenfe •
cold; which, by the bye, we were pretty well ufed to, In-
the afternoon, the ferenity of the fky was prefently ob-
fcuréd ; the wind veered round by the S. W. to Weft, and:
blew in hard fqualls, attended with thick and heavy fhowers
of hail and fnow, which continually covered our decks,
failï, and rigging, till five o’clock in the evening of the.
15th,.