1787. 'How many people 'are there in the learned world, who have em-
September. ..pp-jyg^ ^ confiderable portion of their time, and made ufe of many
ingeniousarguments to point out in what manner the remote parts
of the world have been peopled ? The continent of Americ-a, for
inftance, has puzzled moll of our learned hiftorians ever fince it was
difcovered, to account for it’s population ; and yet, now the geography
of that part of the globe is fo well known, how much ea-
iier is that to be accounted for than the tract of Elands fo amazingly
diflant from each other as thofe juft mentioned ?
I fhall conclude with a full conviction that “ the ways of P10-
vidence are unfearchable and paft finding out.” Thine ever,
W. B.
A tpu i, 7
September 18th. J
L E T T E R XLII.
I Before obferved that our very good friends at Atoui had fur-
nilhed us with a moft plentiful fupply of hogs, taro, and fugar
cane, in the afternoon of the 1 8th of September.
Having every thing ready for fea, we weighed anchor, and made
fail. By the time we had cleared Wymoa Bay, our friends wifhed
to leave us, on which we hove to whilft they got into their canoes.
They took their leave with a univerfal proha, or a wilh for a good
yoyage, and the moft unreferved marks of friendlhip and attachment.
At fix o’clock King’s Mount bore North, 66 deg. Eaft, diftant 1787.
eight leagues; and the South end of Oneehow, Weft. During sfPtel"jj ,
the night we fleered South by Eaft, with a frefh breeze at Eaft
North Eaft. At fix in the morning of the 19th we changed our
courfe to South South Weft.
China was the place of our next deftination, and we were already
in the fame latitude, and confequently had only the longitude
to run down ; but our Captain judged it moft prudent to
fleer to the Southward, ’till we were in about 13 deg. 30 min.
North latitude, and then bear away to the Weftward; as that
track was the moft likely for a true trade, and it had been found
in Captain Cook’s laft voyage, that in the latitude 20 and 21 deg,
to leeward of thefe iflands, the winds are at beft but light, and
often variable.
During the 19th and 20th we had a fine fteady Eafterly breeze. -
During the night we hauled our wind to South, and at day-light
again fleered South South Weft.
The night of the 20th was Iqually, with rain; and during the
21 ft' we had light breezes and cloudy weather : our latitude at
noon was 18 deg. 23 min. North; and the-longitude 161 deg.
J3 min. Weft. "T h e variation of the compafs is here 8 deg.
Eafterly.
From the 21ft to the 25th we had a frefh Eafterly breeze: our
latitude at noon on the 25th was . 13 deg. 22 min. which being as
far as we intended to fail to the Southward, our courfe was
changed to Weft by South; the variation of the compafs being
near 12 deg. Eafterly:
N n From