3.5-4 cook's first voyage march, 



greatest variation, for in latitude 35i, longitude 337, 

 it was 24, and continued gradually to decrease ; so 

 that off Cape Anguillas, it was W 3Q\ and in Table 

 Bay 20 30' W. 



As to currents it did not appear that they were at 

 all considerable, till we came within a little distance 

 of the meridian of Madagascar ; for, after we had 

 made 5& of longitude from Java Head, we found, 

 by observation, that our error in longitude was only 

 two degrees, and it was the same when we had made 

 only nineteen. This error might be owing partly to 

 a current setting to the westward, partly to our not 

 making proper allowances for the setting of the sea 

 before which we run, and perhaps to an error in the 

 assumed longitude of Java Head. If that longi- 

 tude is erroneous, the error must be imputed to the 

 imperfection of the charts of which 1 made use in 

 reducing the longitude from Batavia to that place, 

 for there can be no doubt but that the longitude of 

 Batavia is well determined. After we had passed 

 the longitude of 307, the effects of the westerly 

 currents began to be considerable ; for in three days, 

 our error in longitude was 1 5': the velocity of the 

 current kept increasing, as we proceeded to the 

 westward, in so much that, for five days successively 

 after we made the land, we were driven to the 

 S. W. or S. W. by W., not less than twenty leagues 

 a day ; and this continued till we were within sixty 

 or seventy leagues of the Cape, where the current 

 set sometimes one way, and sometimes the other, 

 though inclining rather to the westward. 



After the boobies had left us, we saw no more 

 birds till we got nearly abreast of Madagascar, 

 where, in latitude 27J S., we saw an albatross, and 

 after that time we saw them every day in great num- 

 bers, with birds of several other sorts, particularly- 

 one about as big as a duck, of a very dark brown 

 colour with a yellowish bill. These birds became 

 more numerous as w r e approached the shore, and as 

 soon as we got into soundings, we saw gannets, which 



