ward. The next day. we came -up. with her, and found her
to he .the Bfdtifli QueenU Simon Paul, matter, from London,
hound to' the Capet o f Ghodf Hppe;' on thetwhale-fifhery.
^he failed* from Falmouth the»5th of December,'-eighteen
left ^ffithead. a IBy this fojpfwratafaJErig-
land. ;-At.fun-fetfhe was almoft out of fight arftern:
' JVTonday.the 18th. In tbeeourfe; of this day’s run; the
variation, changed from -weft to 'eaff. According to ■ ohr
Qbfervations,^the true and magnetic -.meridians;. Gojneicted;
in .latitude 20° o'S, and longitude 310 W. A^noon we*
w§fe in.:lattfftdf'tijae? 44^5*'a^ d > J t e ^ u d e t 3 i S o ; . : ! n .
hur- advances towards' the .fouth,'’the wind. Kid) gradually
veered round to< the eaftrand.wasi at this: time -aVrE-NT.-
The jyeather» after.crofting the Line, had,been fine and
dear,, but the air fp ;futtryfas':to- decafrondgreat faintnefs,-
the quickfilyer in thethernaometer, in. the,: day-time, ttand-!
ing at between 81 and ,83 degrees,- and;one etime* at',83' de-
Hgrees,. ‘ In our paffagfe through .the.northern itropio; the-
air was temperate, the fun having,then high fbuthsdedi-
natiop and the weather being generally fine .till we* aloft
.the N E trade wind; but fuch a thick hazefurroundeebthe
horizon,; that, no- ohjett,.cpuldhhe. feen, ^except at a very
fmalLdiftance. The haze commonly cleared away at: fun-
fet, and gathered, again at fun-rife.. Between the N E. and
' SE trade winds, ratfj f
ance, are very liable to produce*'fickrjett, - walef? ;gi*eat
attention is paid tot keeping the fllip cleaii and w holefome,
by giving all the air poffible, drying between decks with
fires, and drying and airing thejpeople7s-elot-h^ ahd. bedding.
Befides thefe precaution?,, -wp frequently,..Wetted
with vinegar; and-every evening the pumps-were ufed as
ventilators. 'With thefe endeavour?,to{feepre health,, we
pafled .the,lpw latitudes without a Anglej.complaint.
The
1$
The -currents we met with were by no means regular, 1788.
ffor.have Lever found them’ fo in the middle of the ocean. f EERVARY.'
however, from the channel tolthe fouthward, as far as
Madeira, there is generally a current fetting to the 8$-E.
On the evening of thehift, a fhip was feen in the N E, Thwfday.st.
but at too great -a diftance to diftinguifh of what country.
The next day the wind came round to the N and N W, fo Frlday **'
that >We could mo lcgigei* cchfider .ourfelves in the trade
wihd’. Our datitude atmetonto ag&jj0 s^'-S, longitude 36“39' W-.
Variation of the bifnpafslhree degrees eaft. . *
} ASdturday. 23d,- towards night the ^ wind' died away, and ;6aWtday **•
”"|ye had fomeiheavy, Ihowers of raiig of, which -we profited,
-hy favin^a Won o f gdddewater.' The next day we caught
a fhatk, and "five-dolphins.': t
1 Tu^fcfty ?6th, webentnewttiisjand-mademther neceftary T«tf<tey*&
preparations for dneoraitering the weather-that was to be expedited
iri ah'igh latitude.- Our latitude afmpoftwas ipA- 38' g
longitude 410 44' W. Variation y°. 13'Tv' In tfteftftemnon,
th e . windi being, wefterly, and blowing ftrorig in - fquftls,
fome butterflies, and other dnfedtsy like what, we call horfe-
flies, wtere blownon hoard‘of us. No'birds were feeh except ,t
fheerwaters-l Our-diftance from the eoaft of Brafil at this
time, was above 100 l?bg.ues.4 <
1«.Sunday tfd,*dh theforenaon,, after feeing that eyeryperfoa Ma«».
-was clean,; divine,,ferv|ee‘ was performed,.according to,my &UR | |
ufual enftom on,>this -day,-:s.) I gave to Mr. Fletcher,.Chrif-
tian, whom I had'belbre dkedtedrto take charge o f the third
watch, a written order, to:a^t as .lieutenant,
+p Saturday<8th. V We were at moon in „ latitude 36° 50' S, Sa^ay 8.
■ and .longitude 32“ 53^W, The laft, fphr^ays, we, Ijesreral
times tried for foundings, without finding-bottom, though
confiderably.to the weftward of Gaptain Wallis’s track, who
E -had