15°
>77+' the variation was found to be 130 q' E .; but I think this ob-
O&ober. g ^
<--- .— 1 fervation gave too much, as others; which we had both before
Tuefdayll. ancj aft£ri gave 2° lefs.
After leaving Norfolk Ifle, I fleered for New Zealand, my
intention being to touch at Queen Charlotte’s Sound, to re-
frelh my crew, and put the fhip in a condition to encounter
the fouthern latitudes.
Monday 17. t*le at day-break, we faw Mount Egmont, which
was covered with everlafling fnow, bearing S. E. ± E. Our
diftance from the iliore was about eight leagues, and, on
founding, we found feventy fathoms water, a muddy bottom.
The wind foon fixed in the weftern board, and blew a frefh
gale, with which we fleered S. S. E., for Queen Charlotte’s
Sound, with a view of falling in with Cape Stephens. At
noon Cape Egmont bore E. N. E., diftant three or four leagues;
and though the mount was hid in the clouds, we judged
it to be in the fame direction as the Cape; latitude obferved
390 24'. The wind increafed in fuch a manner as to oblige
us to clofe reef our top-fails, and ftrike top-gallant yards.
At laft we could bear no more fail than the two courfes, and
two clofe-reefed top-fails; and under them we ftretched
for Cape Stephens, which we made at eleven o’clock at night.
Tuefda/18. At midnight we tacked and made a trip to the North till
three o’clock next morning, when we bore away for the
found. At nine we hauled round Point Jackfon through a
fea which looked terrible, occafioned by a rapid tide, and a
high wind ; but as we knew the coaft, it did not alarm us.
At eleven o’clock we anchored before Ship Cove ; the ftrong
flurries from off the land not permitting us to get in.
*5*
In the afternoon, as we could not.move the fhip, I went 0'^Jb4e-r<
into the Cove, with the feine, to try to catch fome fifh. The i— — *
1 r Tuefday 18.
firft thing I did after landing, was to look for the bottle I lert
hid when laft here, in which was the memorandum. It was
taken away; but by whom it did not appear. Two hauls
with the feine producing, only four fmall fifh, we, in fome
meafure, made up for this deficiency, by fhooting feveral
birds, which the flowers in the garden had drawn thither,
as alfo fome old fhags, and by robbing the nefls of fome
young ones.
Being little wind next morning, we weighed and warped Wednef. 19.
the fhip into the Cove, and there moored with the two
bowers- We unbent the fails to repair' them; feveral having
been fplit, and otherwife damaged in the late gale. The
main and fore courfes, already worn to the very utmoft,
were condemned as ufelefs. I ordered the top-mafts to be
ftruck and unrigged, in order to fix to them moveable chocks
or knees, for want of which the treftle-trees were continually
breaking; the forge to be fet up, to make bolts and repair
our iron-work; and tents to be erected on fhore for the
reception of a guard, coopers, fail-makers, &c. I likewife
gave orders that vegetables (of which there were plenty)
fliould be boiled every morning with oat-meal and portable
broth for breakfaft, and with peas and broth every day for
dinner for the whole crew, over and above their u-fual al—
lowance of fait meat..
In the afternoon, as Mr. Wales was fettingup his obferva-
tory, he difcovered that feveral trees, which were Handing
when we laft failed from this place, had been cut down with
faws and axes ; and a few days after, the place where an obfer—
vatory, clock, &c. had been fet up, was alfo found, in a fpor
differene