c h a p . x.
Progrefs o f the Voyage,, after leaving the Society Iflands
Chriftmas I f and difcoveredy and Station o f the Ships
rthere.— Boats ftn t afhore.-— Great Succefs in catching
'Turtle.— A n Eclipfe' o f the Sun ebfer~ied.— -Diftrefs o f
■two Seamen1 who had loft their tVay.— Infcription left
: in a Bottle.— Account o f the IJland.— Its Soil.— Trees
and Plants.— Bfrds.— Its Size.— Form.— Situation.__
1 Anchoring Ground.
A F T E R lea vin g Bolabola, I fleered to the Northward, ' 'in-
clofe-hawled, with the wind between North Eaft and ,De'|ember'.
Eaft; hardly ever ha vin g it to the Southward o f Eaft, till Moniiay 8‘
after we had crofted the line, and had got into North lati- f !
tudes. So that our courfe, made good, was always to the
Weft o f North, and, fometimes, no better than North Weft.
T h o u gh feventeen months had now elapfed fince our departure
from England, during which, we had not, upori
the whole, been unproiitably employed, I was fenfible that/
with regard to the principal o b jeft o f my inftruftions, p u r
voyage was, at this time, only beginning • -M , therefore,
my attention to every circumftance that might contribute
toward our fafety, and our ultimate fuccg fo w a s npw to be g
called forth anew. With this view 1 had examined into the
ftate o f our proviiions at the laft iilands ; and, as foon as
I had left them, and g ot beyond the extent o f m y former dif-
A a 2 | coveries,