A Voyage from Jamaica to England. 
343 
March 27. After having ftood N. N. W. all Night, ‘we were in fight 
of Cape Florida and its Cayos, we went a little’ nearer ‘the Wind, which 
was to avoid them, ‘being very: dangerous’ Shoals. 
March 28, 29, 30: We lay tacking the Wind as before, only the 
dag lay S. £. til Night, when it becdmeé calm, and continued fo 
March 31. In the Morning, when it blew'a very hatd’Gale at North, 
with a little Rain, we lay as near it as we could, to avoid the Lee 
Shore and Rocks :of:@zba, we-tack’d all‘Day, and came to ‘fail a- 
mongft great Quantities ‘of Sea’ Weeds and’ Sea Blubber, or Spawn 
of Fifh.: This trighted fome in: the Fleet,’ who firéd:a'’Gun, conclud- 
ing we were near, or upon Rocks, which ‘are here very dangerous, 
buc upon heaving. the Lead, there being found no Ground, we ftood 
towards the Shore, and on 9: - a | 
April 1. In, the'\Morning,'*we were near it, and’ from this Day 
April 2, 3; 49D wins | - Of 
Aprils. We lay beating vo! and’ again Off OF Case, and at Four a 
Clock .we took our Departure from the high “Land off of the Bay’ of 
Matanfa, which bore from us, &. by W. Twelve Leagues diftant, ‘the 
next Morning, we faw Dolphins take feveral flying Fifth. The Sea- 
men baited therefore their Hooks with any thing made in the Form 
of a. flying Fifh, letting them fall into the’ Water, which by the Mo+ 
tion of the Ship, imitates flying Fifh, the Prey of the Dolphins. 
One Morris, on Board of our Ship, knew the Land off-of the Bay of 
Matanfz, he told me he had been a Prifoner feven Years with the 
Spaniards, by whom he had been takenin the Bay of Campeche, cutting 
Logwood. He was carried firft to the Havana. He ‘told me he had 
coalted the North-fide of the Tland of Caba, in a Channel which was 
deep, and twenty Leagues broad between‘the Ifland and the Shoals, near 
the Bahema Iflands, that he had gone to St. Fago, on the South-fide 
of Cuba, which he related to be a very fine Harbour. He faid, that 
ufually the Spaniards, after having made Cape St. Antonio, kept clofe 
by the Shore, that there was a great Current which came from ‘the 
Eaft Winds to Leeward of that Cape, driving the Water into the Bay 
of Mexico,and that che Waters forced in by the Winds, made the Current 
of thé Gulf, and of that-fetting to Windward along the Channel of Florida, 
on the North-fide of Cabs. He faid he had at Mexico been a Slave 
to feveral Trades, as a Baker, Weaver, cc. and that he and enother 
had made their Efcapes, by beating down a Stone Wall and getting 
through it. He told me, that Bread was very cheap at Mexico, and 
dear at Havana. mt sitet | 
April 7. We ftood all Day fometimes' WV. and’ other times S. E. to 
Weather the Eaftward-moft of the Cayos off of Cape Florida, we had 
25°, 50 min. N. Latitude. | “0 Ss 
April. 8. In the Morning we had a Calm, and a Current which fet us 2- 
bout a.Mile NV. E.inan Hour. We were in NV. Lat. 26°, 23. mix. We had 
here a great many {mall Zeophytes or Blubber Fifhes of that Kind, which tk 
ca 
