177^. ROUND THE WORLD. C)J 



believe that land of any extent lay to the west. We 

 therefore continued to steer to the E., only lying to 

 a few hours in the night, and in the morning re- 

 sumed our course again, four miles north and south 

 from each other ; the hazy weather not permitting 

 us to spread farther. We passed two or three small 

 pieces of rock-weed, and saw two or three birds 

 known by the name of egg-birds ; but saw no other 

 signs of land. At noon we observed, in latitude 

 48 36' south, longitude 59 fSff east. As we could 

 only see a few miles farther to the south, and as it 

 was not impossible that there might be land not far 

 off in that direction, I gave orders to steer S. \ E., 

 and made the signal for the Adventure to follow, 

 she being, by this movement, thrown a-stern. The 

 weather continuing hazy till half an hour past six 

 o'clock in the evening, when it cleared up so as to 

 enable us to see about five leagues round us. 



Being now in the latitude of 49 13' south, 

 without having the least signs of land, I wore and 

 stood again to the eastward, and soon after spoke 

 with Captain Furneaux. He told me that he 

 thought the land was to the N. W. of us ; as he had. 

 at one time, observed the sea to be smooth when the 

 wind blew in that direction. Although this was not 

 conformable to the remarks we had made on the sea, 

 I resolved to clear up the point, if the wind would 

 admit of my getting to the west in any reasonable 

 time. 



At eight o'clock in the morning of the 3d, being 

 in the latitude of 48 56' South, longitude 6 47' 

 East, and upwards of 3 to the east of the meridian 

 of Mauritius, I began to despair of finding land 

 to the east ; and as the wind had now veered to the 

 northward, resolved to search for it to the west. I 

 accordingly tacked and stood to the west with a 

 fresh gale. This increased in such a manner, that 

 before night we were reduced to our two courses ; 

 and at last, obliged to lie to under the fore-sails, 



f 2 



