1777* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 173 



This was the greatest variation we found in this pas- 

 sage ; for afterward it began to decrease, but. so 

 slowly, that, on the 3d, in the evening, being then in 

 the latitude of 48 16' S. longitude 85 E. it was 29 

 38' W. 



Thus far we had fresh gales from the W. and S. 

 W. and tolerably clear weather. But now the wind 

 veered to the N. where it continued eight days, and 

 was attended with a thick fog. During this time, 

 we ran above three hundred leagues in the dark. 

 Now and then the weather would clear up, and give 

 us a sight of the sun ; but this happened very seldom, 

 and was always of short continuance. On the 7th, 

 I hoisted out a boat, and sent an order to Captain 

 Clerke, appointing Adventure Bay, in Van Diemen's 

 Land, as our place of rendezvous, in case of separ- 

 ation before we arrived in the meridian of that land. 

 But we were fortunate enough, amidst all this foggy 

 weather, by frequently firing guns as signals, though 

 we seldom saw each other, not to lose company. 



On the 12th, being in the latitude of 48 40' S., 

 longitude 110 26' E., the northerly winds ended in 

 a calm ; which, after a few hours, was succeeded by 

 a wind from the southward. This, with rain, conti- 

 nued for twenty-four hours ; when it freshened, and 

 veered to the west and north-west, and brought on 

 fair and clear weather. 



We continued our course to the eastward, without 

 meeting with any thing worthy of notice, till four 

 o'clock in the morning of the 19th ; when, in a 

 sudden squall of wind, though the Discovery re- 

 ceived no damage, our fore-top-mast went by the 

 board, and carried the main-top-gallant-mast with it. 

 This occasioned some delay, as it took us up the 

 whole day to clear the wreck, and to fit another top- 

 mast. The former was accomplished without losing 

 any part of it, except a few fathoms of smalJ rope. 

 Not having a spare main-top-gallant-mast on board, 



