17&7. From this to the 8th of October we had. little variety. The
October. weat}ler was intenfely hot» the thermometer being from 88 to 91
degrees. We had frequent heavy fqualls, particularly in the
night-time, attended with lightning- Our latitude at noon on,
the 8th, was 13 deg. 24 min. North $ and the longitude 187 deg..
37 min. Weft. At nine o’clock in the evening we had a very
hard fquall, attended with heavy rain, which obliged us to. clue all.
up and run right before i t ; hut towards eleven o’clock the weather
moderated. As this part of the ocean feemed particularly fob-
ject to Iqualls, efpecially in the night-time, we every day at fun-
fet had the precaution to. reef our topfails and make every thing,
fnug, fo that we might be ready for thefe fudden gufts, and run no
danger of carrying any thing away.
In the night of the 12th, we had two very fevere fqualjs, but
fortunately they did us no damage. They were attended with
much thunder,, lightning, and violent rain.
I cannot help thinking, part o f the celebrated fimile in the
ingenious Mr. Addition’s “ Campaign,” particularly applicable to
circumftances of this fort. Such fudden and impetuous torrents,
of wind rnuft certainly baffle the utmoft efforts of human Ikill to
guard againft their dire effects» were they not guided by an Almighty
power; and furely we may fay of the miniftering Angel»
that
Calm and ferene he drives the furious blaft>:
And pleas’d th’ Almighty’s orders to perform,
Rides in the whirlwind, and. dire&s the ftorm-.”
From the 12th to the 20th, we had a fteady Eafterly breeze
and cloudy weather. The nights were frequently fqually, but not
fo>
fo violent as before. Our latitude at noon on the 20th, was
41 deg. 1 min. North, and the longitude 210 deg. 24 mm. Weft, u—v— >
The variation of the compafs about 7 deg. Eafterly.
At noon, on the 21 ft, our latitude was 14 deg. 11 min. and
the longitude 212 deg. 16 min. We lay'to during the night, with
the Ihip’s head to the Northward, as we expected to fall in with
fome of the Ladrone Iflands > and it was neceffary to take every
precaution in our power to avoid danger.
At day-light in the morning of the 2 2d, we bore up and made
fail, fteering Wef t'by North. We ftill had a conftant fteady
Eafterly breeze, with fine fettled weather. At half paft ten
o’clock we faw land, bearing North 58 deg. Weft. During the
forenoon we had great quantities of fmall bonetta about thé
fhip, and our people caught feveral with hook and line. There
were vaft numbers of ganetts flying near the land, and indeed
they were the only birds we faw. Thefe birds feed on the final! •
bonetta, as we frequently faw them dart into the water with afto-
hilftmg rapidity, and they generally devoured their prey on the
furface before they took wing again. At noon we faw two
iflands, one bearing North, 55 deg. Weft; the other North,
•80 deg. Weft, about four leagues diftant. Our latitude was 14
deg. 46 min. North.
On coming near the land, we faw three iflands which we took
to be Tinian, Aguigan, and Saypan, according to the defcription
■ of them by Anfon. At four o’clock the Eaft end of Tinian bore
North 30 deg. Eaft, diftant four leagues; the peak of Saypan,
North North Eaft ; and the Weft end of Aguigan, North Weft
by Nortli, about four miles diftant.
N n I At