lifif'1
IIit
i7%. The fecond was likewife long, o f a pretty equal height, ex-
■ JULY. 51'!
cept in two or three places, where it teemed to rife into
hills: near the middle-of it was one veryremarkable, „from
its beinginffiape like a China or T art-ar woman’s i f i .
The third ifland fhewed like two rugged-tppped mountain,
joini®: together by low land. - The fourth was- a high, large,
double-peaked rock, appearing to have little foil or wood
upon it. The fifth was very high and uneven, devoid of
wood, except a few green bufhes towards-its fummit; There
Were no figns of inhabitants upon any of thefe ifiands, jmd
the Weather being fqnSily, our people foon loft fight of them-;
at noon they were in latitude z i° ||j| north, by obfervation^
when, having run about fifteen leagues to the eaftward of
the iflands, they hauled up more to the foUthwatd,. in- hopes
to get into fmoother water, and better weather than they had
hitherto met with fince leaving Macao. Soon after noon,
the man at the maft-head difeovered the foretop-maft to he
iprung; they immediately took in the fails, and got down
the topgallant-maft, and prepared to get down the top-maft,
but were obliged to defift oh account o f the weather, until
Sunday 27, the morning,' when it proving fair, with tolerably frhooth
water,- all hands went bufily to work to get up a new fore-
top-maft, and to dry and air the ihip, as alfo to fecure . what
catrde and ftock remained, much having periflied in the
Monday 28. rains and had weather. T he next morning alfo being fine
and fair.; this opportunity was embraced to open the ports,
X y I and
t h e p e l e w i n l a n d s . 7
and waffi and cleanfe the Ihip below, as well as to overhaul
and clean their fmall arms, and give the officers inftruaions
for the voyage,' In the evening there was very hard rain,
with variable winds.
But the fucceèding day, the wind being favourable, gave
them an opportunity of examining an d, drying. fonae o f ‘their
provifion, particularly hamsrand dry fiffi,, which
copffituted part oj| yi.it<palling^and had(g%; ftaip in the
exceffive rains. 'Xlpl-faWagFieab^
abqnt the ffiip, bgfepuld not catch any, as „tMytwould not
take the baits; >No rains during the laft twenty-:lour hours,
but the next morning the weather became overcaft and th ey
-^efe again vifited with rain in the evemn^^ffiicn,con tinned,
very hard all night and the fuceeeding day, with variable
winds.,, fo that they made very little progrefs on their
voyage#- The next morning was more moderate, and towards
noon the weather cleared up and they got an obfer-
vation, by which they found their latitude-was 16° 25' north.
In the afternoon it fell calm, which gave them the means o f
trying the current, which they found to fet to the E .N .E .
at the rate of half a mile, an hour. In the evening Captain
W ilson exercifed fome o f the Chinefe m tn with rowing in
the jolly-boat for an hour or two,, to teach them to ufe an
oar when needful. . The following day being fair, and the
wind moderate, all were again employed in clearing and
cleaning the ffiip and fetting .up the rigging. In the after-
1783-
J U L Y ,
Tue(J3ay 29.
Wednefiiay
Tikurfday1
A C O t f t T .
Friday 1, t
Saturday 2,
noon