1773. ROUND THE WORLD. lij 



longitude 133 7' west, we steered N. - west, having 

 still the advantage of a hard gale at south, which the 

 next day veered to S. E. and E. blew hard and by 

 squalls, attended with rain and thick hazy weather ; 

 this continued till the evening of the 21st, when the 

 gale abated, the weather cleared up, and the wind 

 backed to the S. and S. E. 



We were now in the latitude of 32 30', longitude 

 WS 40' west ; from this situation we steered N. N. W. 

 till noon the next day, when we steered a point more 

 to the west ; being at this time in the latitude of 

 31 6', longitude 134 12' west. The weather was 

 now so warm, that it was necessary to put on lighter 

 clothes : the mercury in the thermometer at noon 

 rose to 68 ; it had never been lower than 46, and 

 seldom higher than 54, at the same time of the day, 

 since we left New Zealand. 



This day was remarkable by our not seeing a single 

 bird ; not one had passed since we left the land with- 

 out seeing some of the following birds, viz. albatros- 

 ses, sheer-waters, pintadoes, blue peterels, and Port 

 Egmont hens ; but these frequent every part of the 

 Southern Ocean in the higher latitudes ; not a bird, 

 nor any other thing was seen, that could induce us 

 to think that we had ever been in the neighbourhood 

 of any land. 



The wind kept veering round from the south by 

 the west to N. N. W., with which we stretched north 

 till noon the next day, when, being in the latitude of 

 29 22', we tacked and stretched to the westward. 

 The wind soon increased to a very hard gale, at- 

 tended with rain, and blew in such heavy squalls, as 

 to split the most of our sails. This weather continued 

 till the morning of the 2oth, when the wind became 

 more moderate, and veered to N. W. and \V. N. W., 

 with which we steered and stretched to N. E., being, 

 at that time, in the latitude of 29 51', longitude 

 136 28' west. In the afternoon, the sky cleared up, 



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