•Thurfdayio.
Friday n .
Sunday 13.
Monday 14.
This day, in order to fave our water, I ordered the dill to
be kept at work, from fix o’clock in the morning to four
in the afternoon; during which time, we procured from
thirteen to fixteen gallons of freih water. There has been
lately made fome improvement, as they are pleafed to call
it, of this machine, which, in my opinion, is much for the
worfe.
Thefe light breezes continued till the roth, when we had,
for fome hours, the wind blowing freih from the North,
and North North Weft; being then in the latitude of i8° 38',
and longitude 198° 24' Eaft. In the afternoon, we had fome
thunder fqualls from the South, attended with heavy rain ;
of which water, we collected enough to fill five puncheons.
After thefe fqualls had blown over, the wind came round
to the North Eaft, and North Weft; being very unfettled
both in ftrength and in pofition, till about noon the next day,
when it fixed at North Weft, and North North Weft, and
blew a freih breeze, with fair weather.
Thus were we perfecuted with a wind in our teeth, whichever
way we directed our courfe; and we had the additional
mortification to find here, thofe very winds, which we had
reafon to expeift 8° or 10' farther South. They came too
late; for I durft not truft their continuance ; and the event
proved that I judged right.
At length, at day-break, in the morning of the 13th, we
faw Palmerfton Ifland, bearing Weft by South, diftant about
five leagues. However, we did not get up with it, till eight
o’clock the next morning. I then fent four boats, three
from the Refolution, and one from the Difcovery, with an
officer in each, to fearch the coaft for the moil convenient
landing-place. For, now, we were under an abfolute necef-
3 fity
fity of procuring, from this ifland, fome food for the cattle; wj-
otherwife we muft have loft them. <— -.—
What is comprehended under the name of Palmerfton’s
Ifland, is a group of fmall iflots, of which there are, in
the whole, nine or ten, lying in a circular direction, and
connected together by a reef of coral rocks. The boats firft
examined the South Eafternmoftof the iflots which compofe
this group; and, failing there, ran down to the fecond,
where we had the fatisfaftion to fee them land. I then
bore down with the fhips, till abreaft of the place, and
there we kept Handing off and on., For no bottom was to
be found to anchor upon; which was not of much confe-
quence, as the party who had landed from our boats, were
the only human beings upon the ifland.
About one o’clock, one of the boats came on board, laden'
with fcurvy-grafs and young cocoa-nut trees ; which, at this
time, was a feaft for the cattle. The fame boat brought a
meflage from Mr. Gore, who commanded the party, informing
me, that there was plenty of fuch produce upon
the ifland, as alfo of the -ivharra tree, and fome cocoa-nuts.
This determined me to get a good fupply of thefe articles,
before I quitted this ftation ; and, before evening, I went
afhore in a fmall boat, accompanied by Captain Clerke.
We found every body hard at work, and the landing
place to be in a fmall creek, formed by the reef, of fome-
thing more than a boat’s length in every dire&ion, and covered
from the force of the fea, by rocks projecting out on
each fide of it. The ifland is fcarcely a mile in circuit; and
not above three feet higher than the level of the fea. It appeared
to be compofed entirely of a coral fand, with a fmall
mixture of blackifh mould, produced from rotten vegetables.'
.