January. tIlat tIle public prints, which had arrived laft from Eng-
'— -v-— ' land, made mention o f inftruftions having been found on
board all the French fhips o f war, captured in Europe, di-
redling their commanders, in cafe o f fallin g in with the
fliips that failed under the command o f Captain Cook, to
fuffer them to proceed on their voyage without moleftation.
The fame orders were alfo faid to have been given by the
American congrefs to the veflels employed in their fervice.
As this intelligence was farther confirmed by the private
letters o f feveral o f the fupercargoes, Captain Gore thought
him fe lf bound, in return fo r the liberal exceptions made
in our favour, to refrain from availing him fe lf o f any
opportunities o f capture, which thefe might afford, and
to preferve, throughout his voyage, the ftri&eft neutrality.
At two in the afternoon, having got under fail, the Refo-
lution faluted the fort o f Macao with eleven guns, which
was returned with the fame number. At five, the wind
dropping, the fftip milled flays, and drove into fliallow
water ; but, by carrying out an anchor, Hie was hauled off
without receiving the fmalleft damage. The weather continuing
calm, we were obliged to warp out into the entrance
o f the Typa, which we gained by eight o’clock, and
Friday j 3. Ja y there till nine the next m o rn in g ; when, by the help o f
a frefh breeze from the Eaft, we flood to the Southward
between Potoe and Wungboo.
At noon, we were faluted by a Swedifh fliip as fhe paffed
us on her way to Europe, At four the Ladrone bore Eaft,
diftant two leagues. We now fleered South h a lf Eaft, with
a frelh breeze from the Eaft North Eaft, without anyoccur-
Sunday iS. rence worth remarking, till noon o f the 15th j when, being
4 in
in latitude 18 57» and longitude 114* i f f , the wind veering 1780.
to the North, we directed our courfe h a lf a point more to ,
the Eaftward, in order to ftrike foundings over the Macclef-
field Bank. This we effeited at eight in the evening o f the
16th, and found the depth o f water to be fifty f a t h o m s , Monday 16.
over a bottom o f white fand and ihells. This part o f the
Macclesfied Shoals we placed in latitude 15° 51', and longitude
114° so '; which agrees very exadtly with the pofition
given in Mr. Dalrymple’s map, whofe general accuracy, i f
it flood in need o f any fupport, was confirmed, in this in-
ftance, b y a great number o f lunar obfervations, which we
had an opportunity o f m akin g every day fince we left the
Typa. The variation was found to be, in the forenoon,
°* 39' Weft.
On the 17th, we had heavy gales from the Eaft b y North, Ti*ra>y ,7.
with a rou gh tumblin g fea, and the weather overcaft and
boifterous. On the 18th, the wind ftill continued to blow Wednef. l8,
ftrong, and the fea to run high, we altered our courfe to
South Weft by South ; and, at noon, being in latitude 12° 34',
longitude 132“, we began to fleer a point more to the Weft-
ward for Pulo Sapata, which we faw on the 19th, at four in Thurfday,9.
the. afternoon, bearing North Weft b y Weft, about four
leagues diftant. T his fmall, h igh , barren ifland is called
Sapata, from its refemblance o f a flioe. Our obfervations,
compared with Mr. Bayly’s time-keeper, place it in latitude
io° 4' North, longitude 109° 10' Eaft. The gale had, at this
time, increafed with fuch violence, and the fea ran fo high,
as to oblige us to clofe-reef the topfails. Du ring the laft
three days, the fhips had outrun their reckoning at the rate
o f twenty miles a d a y ; and, as we could not attribute the
whole o f this to the effects o f a following fea, we imputed
Vox., III. 3 M i t