between them, or to the Northward o f the Roman Rocks,
there is a fafe paffage into^ the Bay. When the North Weft
gales are fet in, the following bearings will direft the mariner
to a fafe and commodious birth: Noah’ s Ark, South 51*
Eaft, and the centre of the hofpital South 53° Weft, in
feven fathoms. But i f the South Eaft winds have not done
blowing, it is better to ftay further out in eight or nine fathoms.
The bottom is fandy, and the Anchors fettle con-
fiderably before they get hold. All the North part o f the
Bay is low fandy land, but the Eaft fide is very high.
About fix miles Eaft o f Noah’s A rk lies Seal Ifland, the
South part of which is faid to be dangerous, and not to be
approached, with fafety, nearer than in twenty-two fa thoms.
Off the Cape o f Good Hope are many funk rocks,
fome o f which appear at low water; and others have
breakers conftantly on them.
T h e latitude o f the anchoring-place in Simon’s
Bay, by obfervation - - 34° 20' South,
T h e longitude j • 18° 29' Eaft.
Dip o f the South end o f the magnetic needle 46° 47'
Variation o f the compafs - - 22° 16' Weft.
On the fu ll and change days, it was high-water at yh 35"
apparent time ; the tide rofe and fell five feet five inches ; at
the neap tides, it rofe four feet one inch.
From the obfervations taken by Mr. Bayly and myfelf,
on the n th o f this month, when the Cape o f Good Hope
bore due Weft, we found its latitude to be 34' 23' South,
which is 4' to the Northward o f its pofition, as determined
by the Abbe' de la Caille.
Having completed our victualling, and furniihed our- '780.
felves with the neeeffary fupply o f naval ftores, we failed v—
out o f the Bay on the 9th o f May, and on the 14th, we got Tuefday9.
into the South Eaft trade-wind, and fleered to the Weftward o f
the iilands o f St. Helena and Afcenfion. On the 31ft, being Wednef. 3,.
in latitude 12° 4 8 'South, longitude 150 40' Weft, the mag- Sttnday *4.
netic needle was found to have no dip.
On the 1 2th o f June, we paffed the equator for the fourth J“”'-
time during this voyage, in longitude 26° 16' Weft. We Mo‘"Ja)'
now began to perceive the effefts o f a current fetting North
by Eaft, h a lf a knot an hour. It continued in this direction
till the middle o f July, when it began to fet a little to SatJdiy ,5.
the Southward o f the Weft.
On jh e 12th o f Auguft, we made the Weftern coaft o f Ire- Augnjt.
land, and after a fruitlefs attempt to get into Port Galway, Sa'urday 12.
from whence it was Captain Gore’s intention to have fent
the journals and maps o f our voyage to London, we were
obliged, by ftrong Southerly winds, to fleer to the Northward.
Our next objeft was to put into Lough Sw illy ; but
the wind continuing in the fame quarter, we flood on to*
the Northward o f Lewis Ifland ; and on the 22d o f Auguft, Tuefday 22..
at eleven in the morning, both ihipn came to an anchor at
Stromnefs. From hence, I was difpatched by Captain Gore,
to acquaint the Board o f Admiralty with our arrival; and
on the 4th day o f Oftobcr the ihips arrived fafe at the we^tT^
Nore, after an abfence o f four years, two months, and
twenty-two days.
On quitting the Difqovery at Stromnefs, I had the fatis-
faftion o f leaving the whole crew in perfeft health ; and at
the fame time, the number o f convalefcents on board the
Refolution, did not exceed two or three, o f whom only one
was incapable o f fervice. In the courfe o f our voyage, the
1 Refolution