1789.
M AY
140 10' S’: their longitude,1according to my reckoning;
15° 51' to 170 6' W from the ifland.Tofoa'*,-; cThe largefl
ifland I judged to be about twenty, leagues* in circuit, the-
others five or fix. The eafternmoft is the fmalleft'iflandj.
and mpft remarkable, having a high fugar-loaf h ill.. 1
* The fight of thefe, iflands.ferved'^only to increafe the-
mifery o f our fituation. We were yeryjittle better ■ than-
ftarving, wrthrplenty in view; yet to attempt procuring
any relief was attended with fo much danger, that prolonging
of life, .even in the raidft of mifery^ was*; thought
preferable, while" there remained hopes of-being-able to
fijrmount our hardfhips. .For my.own.partvl csjjifider the
general run of cloudy and wet weather to be a blefling ‘of
Providence.. Hot;weather would have fcaufed.aisf to have
died with thirfi; and probaldy being fo conftantly-’covered
With rain orfea prpte&ed us from that dreadful calamity.1:
/ As I had nothing to affift my memory, I could nbt then
deteirhine whether thefe iilands were a part o f the New
Hebrides or not: I believed them to be a new* difcoveryy
which I have fince found true; but,, though- they, jwere
nojt feen either by Monfieur Bougainville or Gaptain Cook,
they are fo nearly in the neighbourhood of the New Hebrides,
that they muft be confidered as part of the fame
group. They ate fertile, and inhabited, as I fawfihoke in
feveral places.
The wind was at S E, with rainy weather all day.- , The
night was very dark, not a liar could be- feen- to fleer by,
and the fea broke continually over us. I found it neceffary
* By making, a proportional allowance for the error, aftemards found iSf the dead.,
reckoning, ieftimate the longitude of thefe iilands to be from i b f t f E to 1689 34'
E from Greenwich,.
ft ta
T » SO U T I I S ;E ;A S p See.
to counteracts much'^s poffible t ie efferft of the foutherly
winds, to preyep^h^aig^driven^oo ijear-New-Guinea; for v__-— j
in general we werg^f^rced; to keep fo.,much .before-the fea,
that if we had noy|at interval^^^foderate feather, fleered
a foutherlyy eetpfe, we ^fhould dpeyitaljl|f* > front a
continuance ofithejg^y!toayH-oC%^ft?wn p f | p | | of that
gog,ft: in w hi6 hi% t^ p te rwould nfofi probably, hav-e «been
an end to our voyage«! > t .
c -Saturday the 16th. In addition ;to tour toiferable allow- Saturday i©i
an.ee- pf one 2,5th of a pound o f »bread, and a5 quarter- pfoa
pint of "wate£p! iffhed for dinne&^b^ut am Ounce of ^lt-pork,
to'each per fop. I w ^ p ffen foUqked fop; this pork,.but I
confidgred,it more proper. to iffue it-in, n-H quantities than:
itp fuffer it*fo be all ufed-at once or twiee,;iwhichwould have
been'donedf I had-jallowed-itu ,? r ». ’’ 1 -
t , A6-£ob^:I obfiefved, 4n'i,i ƒ 33'f S^tengitude,foade from
Tbfoa, -19° 27' Wj C0urfe -N; 8ao W,- difiance, iqi miles.
The fun breakings out through the clouds, g-aye-us hopes
of drying our wet-clothes; hut the funfhine ;-wats‘/of) fhort
duration. ^ e^ ad 'ftro n g hre^es at § E by^fo-and dark
gloomy weather, with ftor-ms’tof thunder, lightning, and J
rain. yThe night;was t r u l y horrible,-,.and not a ftar to-be
foen y. fo that our .fteerpge w.as uncertain.
-Sunday the 17th. At dawn o f ‘day, I found every, Sunday 17;
perfon complaining» and fome of them folieited extra ah,
lowance; - which I pofitively refufed. Our fituation was
miferable; always wet, and fuffering -extreme cold in the
night, without the leaft Ihelter from'the weather. Being
conflantly obliged to bale, -to keep the boat from filling,
was* perhaps, not to be reckoned an evil, as it gave us
exercife. » g$ -* • •• . 4
The