1787. our progrefs towards the found was very flow, and during the
night, we plied to the South Weft, making boards as occafion required.
The morning of the 8th was moderate and cloudy, a light
breeze ftill at South Eaft.
A ten o’clock we faw a fail to the South Eaft, and prefently
afterwards, a fmaller veflel in company. This gave us fome
hopes that they might poflibly be the King George and her long
boat. We were fleering Eaft North Eaft, and kept on our courfe, as
we plainly faw the veffels were bearing down upon u s : on the their
nearer approach, we found that it could not be Captain Portlock,
as the fmall fail was much too large for his long boat. Various
now were our conjectures who they could be, or what country
they came from; and Captain Dixon wifliing to be fatisfied in this
particular, gave-orders to tack, and fire a gun to leeward. The final!
veflel immediately anfwered this fignal, and hoifted our Company’s
coloursr by twelve o’clock they fpoke us, and we learned, to our
great joy, that they were from London, and fitted out by our
Owners. The {hip was called the Prince of Wales, Captain Col-
linett; and the floop, the Princefs Royal, Captain Duncan.
We had the pleafure of hearing in general, that our friends in
England were in good health; but few of us bad fuch particulars
as could have been wifhed for, as (by fome miftake or other) we
were expected to arrive in London river the latter end of this feafon.
Thefe veffels left England in September, 1786, and had fettled
a factory at Statens land, for the purpofe of collecting feal fkin and
o il; from thence they had made the beft of their way to King
George’s Sound, without touching at any other place. During
fo
fo long a paflage, the fcurvy had got a great height among them,
and though providentially no lives had been loft, yet many of their c- -* "
people recovered very flowly.
On our enquiry what courfe they fleered after doubling Cape
Horn, we were informed that they crofted the line about 116 deg.
Weft longitude. ' In this fituation they fell in with light baffling
winds and frequent calms, attended with clofe gloomy fultry
weather, and much rain, which certainly occafioned the very fe-
vere ficknefs that had prevailed amongft them.
We crofted the line in April, 1786, nearly in the fame longitude,
and met with light variable winds and gloomy weather, ’till
we ftretched confiderably to the Weftward, when we again had. a
regular trade-wind. Thefe circumftances evidently fliew that fuch
a courfe ought to be avoided; and Captain Dixon obferved that it
would be by far the beft for all veffels bound to the North-Weft '
coaft of America, after doubling Cape Horn, to fleer diieftly for
the Marquefas; there they might obtain refrefhments, and at the
fame time would be fo well to the Weftward, that in the farther
profecution of their voyage, he had every reafon to think, they
would efcape thole climates which we had experimentally found to
be fo very unhealthy.
Mr. John Etches, brother to our managing owner, (who was
on board the Prince of Wales) informed me that they had been
near a month in King George’s Sound, but had done very little
bufinefs, having found a fhip there called the Imperial Eagle,
commanded by a Captain Berkley. She failed from Oftend the
latter end of November, 1786, and arrived at King Georges
Sound near a month before the Prince of Wales and Princefs Royal.
Captain