only narrower: they are held in great eftimation by the Indians, and
as fuch we expect them to be Angularly ufeful in our future trade.
On the 6th, the carpenters were employed in making ports for
guns, and fixtures for fwivels j and on the ioth we had two guns
(four pounders) and eight fwivels fixed on the quarter-deck.
•On the 20th, being in i deg. North latitude, and the weather
-extremely fultry, our allowance of water was increafed to three
quarts a man per day. The latter end of this month we caught a
number of lharks .: thefe are reckoned very coarfe, rank food, and
they certainly arefio.; but to us, who had been fo long on fait pro-
vifions, they were a prize, and by making a mefs which failors call
chouder, of them, they eat very palatably. The weather was very
hot and fultry, with frequent light airs, fometimes inclining to
calm. V
Troni the ift to the 3d of May, we faw numbers of turtle, which
gave usreafon to hope that we Ihould fall in with a turtle illand,
■ efpecially as Captain Cook, in his laft voyage, fell in with one not
many degrees from us; but in this we were difappointed.
With all our endeavours, we only caught one; but Captain
Portlock was more lufcky, owing to his whale-boat being fixed on
the fhip’s quarter ; fo that when they faw any turtle, his people
could launch the boat, and be after them in a minute; by which
means they caught from ten to fourteen per day, part of which
was always fent on board us : fo that though turtle was a kind of
luxury, yet we began to be pretty well fatiated with it : this refpite
from fai t provifions mult, however, have been of Angular fervice to
both fhips companies.
On
Our obfervation at noon, on the 8th of May, gave 17 deg. 4 min.
North latitude, and 129 deg. 57 min. Weft longitude: in this
fituation we looked for an Illand called by the Spaniards Roco
Partida, but in vain; however, we flood to the Northward under
an eafy fail, and kept a go.od look out, expecting foon to fall in
with the group of iflands already mentioned.
From the 1 ith to the 14th, we lay to every night, and when we
made fail in the morning, fpfead at the diftance of eight or ten
miles, Handing Wefterly v it being probable that though the
Spaniards might have been pretty correfit in the latitude of thefe
iflands, yet they, might eafily be miftaken feveral degrees in their
longitude: but• our latitude on the 15th, at noon,.being 20 deg.
g min. North, and 140 deg. 1 min. Weft longitude, which is con-
fiderably to the Weftward of any illand laid down by the Spaniards,
we concluded, and with reafon, that there muft be fome grofs mif-
take in their chart.
Hitherto the people in general on board the Queen had enjoyed
a pretty good ftate of health, except Mr. Turner, our Second Mate,
who was taken ill foon after we left St. Jago, and Captain Dixon,
who latterly had been attacked by a complication o f diforders ; but
now the fcurvy began to make its appearance amongft us, many of
the people being affected more or lefs, and one man entirely laid up
with it. Though every anti-fcorbutic on board was ufed with the
greateft care and regularity, yet we found all would be ineffectual,
without the afliftance of frelh air, frelh water, provifions, vegetables,
&c. on which it was determined to make Sandwich Iflands
as foon as polfible.
G Being