our hufinefs to follow our confort. We foon after palled
thé rock marked R, in Lord Anfon’s Plate; but, inftead o f
hauling up to the Northward o f the grand Ladrone Ifland,
as was done in the Centurion, we proceeded to leeward.
It is hardly neceflary to caution the mariner not to take
this courfe, as the danger is fufficiently obvious ; for ffiould
the wind blow ftrong, and the current fet with it, it will
be extremely difficult to fetch Macao. Indeed we might,
with great fafety, by the direction o f Mr. Dalrymple’s map,
have gone either intirely to the North o f the Lema files, or
between them, and made the wind fair for Macao. Our
fears o f miffing this port, and being forced to Batavia,
added to the ftrong and eager delires o f hearing news from
Europe, made us rejoice to fee the Refolution foon after fire
a gun, and hoift her colours as a fignal for a pilot. On
repeating the fignal, we faw an excellent race between four
Chinefe boats ; and Captain Gore, having engaged with the
man who arrived firft, to carry the ihip to the Typa, for
thirty dollars, fient me word, that, as we could eafily fo llow,
that expence might be laved to us. Soon after, a fie-
c°n3 pilot getting on board the Refolution, infilled on conducting
the ihip, and, without further ceremony, laid hold
o f the wheel, and began to order the fails to be trimmed.
This occafioned a violent difpute, which at lafl was compro-
mifed, by their agreeing to go ihares in the money. At
noon, the latitude, by obfervation, was 21° 57' North, and
Ipngnude 114° 2' Eaft ; the grand Ladrone ifland extending
from North Weft h a lf North, to North h a lf Weft diftant
four miles. The land o f which the bearings are here given
we conceived to be one ifland; but afterward found the
Weflern part to be the ifland marked c in Mr. Dalrymple's
6 chuare
chart o f part o f the coaft o f China, &c. which, at that time,
we unfortunately had not on board.
In obedience to the inftructions given to Captain Cook by
the Board o f Admiralty, it now became neceflary to demand
o f the officers and men their Journals, and what other
papers they might have in their poileffion, relating to the
hiftory o f our voyage. T h e execution o f thefe orders
feemed to require fome delicacy, as well as firmnefs. I
could not be ignorant, that the greateffi part o f our officers,
and feveral o f the feamen, had amufed themfelves with
writing accounts o f our proceedings for their own private
fatisfaCtion, or that o f their friends, which they might be
unwilling, in their prefent form, to have fubmitted to the
infpetftion o f ftrangers. On the other hand, I could not,
confiftently with the inftruClions we had received, leave in
their cuftody papers, which, either from careleffiiefs or de-
fign, might fall into the hands o f printers, and give rife to
fpurious and imperfefl accounts o f the voyage, to the dif-
credit o f our labours, and perhaps to the prejudice o f
officers, who, though innocent, might be fufpefted o f
having been the authors o f fuch publications. As foon
therefore, as I had aflembled the Ihip’s company on deck,
I acquainted them with the orders we had received, and*
the reafons which, I thought, ought to induce them to yield
a ready obedience. At the fame time, I told them, that
any papers which they were defirous not to have fent to the
Admiralty, ihould be fealed up in their prefence, and kept
in my own cuftody, till the intentions o f the Board, with
regard to the publication o f the Hiiiory o f the Voyage,
were fulfilled; after which, they Ihould fa ith fu lly be re-
ftored back to them.