Oil the iff of September, we had bard piercing gales and-fqualls from the W.,
and N.- VV. with violent ihowers of hail and rain. The” fea ran mountain-high,,,
and toiled, the fliip upon the waves:. ihe rolled fo- much, that we could get no
reft, or fcarcely lie in bed, and almoft every, moveable on board was thrown*
down,' and rolled about from- place to place.. In brief, a perfon, who has not been
in a. ftorm at fea* cannot form an adequate idea* of the iituation we were in. The
wind ftill increafing, we. laid the fhip to under the fore&il. The heavens,, however,,
being clear, at four in the morning, we faw the comet again between
Aldebaran and Orion. Latitude, by account, 40° and odd-;, and.Thermometer 44..
On the 2d', We had hard" gales, and iqually weather. About noon we fefc
the mainfail^ and bore away N..N. W.. the captain having; purfuant to his orders,,
gone, in fearch of the continent as far as 40° fouth latitude, and determined to ftand-
to. the fouthward,. to fee what difcoveries he could make in that quarter, appro*-
bending that,, if we continued much longer in thefe high latitudes, we fhould liotr
have fails enough, to carry us, home: beffdes, the weather was fo tempeftuous,,
that, .had we made land,, it would not have been fafe to. have approached near it.—
The courfe which we have fleered to the fouthward, has been, moftly betweem
L47. and. 150 degrees, weft longitudei.
On.the 3d, we had. dark. and. gloomy weather,» with* a* light weffferly breeze,,
and the air was very cold-
On.the 5th,. we had variable weather,, with-fome rain-:- we law fome-A-lbatrofles;
with white beaks, and. athers-all white,, except the. tips of their wings.
On the 6th,, we had hard gales from-the weft; which obliged, us* to go under.-
our courfes.; but.the weather was. clear,, though, cold..
On the 8th, we were becalhied'. moflf part of the- morning but,, in. the affer--
noon,. the. wind came about eafterly„ and. brought with.it fome rain...
On' the 9th, we had a fine breeze, all day, from the fouth, with clear weather;
and, toward night, faw fome parcels of fea-weed This day a whole allowance
of beef was given to the ibip’s company.
On the 10th, we-had fqually weather, with the wind afS. S. W. faw fome fea-
weed, and had feveral white fqualls, which looked as if we had been near land.
On the nth. we had fome fqualls, with light , ihowers of rain, and the wind
-at S. W.
On the 12th, the wind varied between S. and W. and we had agreeable dear
weather, with fome few fqualls. Latitude 33" 1 S'. Thermometer 57.
. On the 14th, we had moderate, though variable, weather, with the wind at
north. We faw feveral Albatroffes flying about the ibip, and two very large ones,
quite white, fwimmiftg upon the water.
On the15th, we had hard gales o f wind from the E. and S. E. the weather
very hazy, with fome rain, and faw a few Pintados. ■
On the 16th, the weather was fqually, but clear, and the wind S. W.
On the 18th, we were becalmed mol part of the day ; however, the weather
was clear, and the- wind S. W.
On the 19th, it. was calm till the afternoon, and then we had a fliort breeze from
the eaft. Mr. Banks went in the boat, and fhot fome Pintados, and caught feme
Molufca, Doris, Phyllodore, and the fine purple Limax, which were fwimming
upon; the water. At night thewater was fell of flafhes of light, oecafioned by the
Molufca. Latitude 29" S. Longitude 159 W. and we had a great fwell from '
the S. W.
Oil