177& THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 99 



On the 10th, the commissioner and pay-clerks 

 came on board, and paid the officers and crew up to 

 the 30th of last month. The petty officers and 

 seamen had, besides, two months' wages in advance. 

 Such indulgence to the latter, is no more than what 

 is customary in the navy. But the payment of what 

 was due to the superior officers was humanely ordered 

 by the Admiralty, in consideration of our peculiar 

 situation, that we might be better able to defray the 

 very great expense of furnishing ourselves with a 

 stock of necessaries for a voyage which, probably, 

 would be of unusual duration, and to regions where 

 no supply could be expected. 



Nothing now obstructing my departure but a 

 contrary wind, which blew strong at south-west, 

 in the morning of the 11th I delivered into the 

 hands of Mr. Burney, first lieutenant of the Discovery, 

 Captain Clerke's sailing orders ; a copy of which I 

 also left with the officer * commanding his Majesty's 

 ships at Plymouth, to be delivered to the Captain 

 immediately on his arrival. In the afternoon, the 

 wind moderating, we weighed with the ebb, and got 

 farther out, beyond all the shipping in the Sound ; 

 where, after making an unsuccessful attempt to get 

 to sea, we were detained most of the following day, 

 which was employed in receiving on board a supply 

 of water ; and, by the same vessel that brought it, 

 all the empty casks were returned. 



As I did not imagine my stay at Plymouth would 

 have been so long as it proved, we did not get our 

 instruments on shore to make the necessary observ- 

 ations for ascertaining the longitude by the watch. 

 For the same reason, Mr. Baily did not set about 

 this, till he found that the Discovery would probably 

 be detained some days after us. He then placed 

 his quadrant upon Drake's Island ; and had time, 



* Captain Le Crass, Admiral Amherst having struck his flag 

 some days before. 



H 2 



