1778. THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 235 



continued till the 12th, when the wind had veered 

 round by the south and west, to north-east and east 

 north-east. I then tacked, and stood to the north- 

 ward, our latitude being 30 N. and our longitude 

 206 15' E. Notwithstanding our advanced latitude, 

 and its being the winter season, we had only begun, 

 for a few days past, to feel a sensation of cold in the 

 mornings and evenings. This is a sign of the equal 

 and lasting influence of the sun's heat, at all seasons, 

 to 30 on each side the line. The disproportion is 

 known to become very great after that. This must 

 be attributed, almost entirely, to the direction of the 

 rays of the sun, independent of the bare distance, 

 which is, by no means, equal to the effect. 



On the 19th, being now in the latitude of 37 N., 

 and in the longitude of 206 E., the wind veered to 

 south-east; and I was enabled again to steer to the east, 

 inclining to the north. We had, on the 25th, reached 

 the latitude of 42 30', and the longitude of 219 ; 

 and then we began to meet with the rock-weed, men- 

 tioned by the writer of Lord Anson's voyage, under 

 the name of sea-leek, which the Manilla ships gene- 

 rally fall in with. Now and then a piece of wood 

 also appeared. But if we had not known that the 

 continent of North America was not far distant, we 

 might, from the few signs of the vicinity of land 

 hitherto met with, have concluded, that there was 

 none within some thousand leagues of us. We had 

 hardly seen a bird, or any other oceanic animal, since 

 we left Sandwich Islands. 



On the 1st of March, our latitude being now 

 44 49' N., and our longitude 228 E., we had one 

 calm day. This was succeeded by a wind from the 

 north, with which I stood to the east close hauled, 

 in order to make the land. According to the charts, 

 it ought not to have been far from us. It was re- 

 markable that we should still be attended with such 

 moderate and mild weather, so far to the northward, 

 and so near the coast of an extensive continent, at 



