PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 315 



about the equator, and in the S. E. trade being 

 more easterly. The westerly current is much 

 the same in both ; and if not attended to in the ^j. 1. 

 Pacific, will carry a ship so far to leeward, that 

 by the time she readies the parallel of the Sand- 

 wich Islands, she will be a long way to the west- 

 ward, and have much difficulty in beating up to 

 them. 



Soon after leaving Otaheite, the officers and ship's 

 company generally were afflicted with dysentery, 

 which, at one time, assumed an alarming appear- 

 ance. On the 3d of May, we had the misfortune May. 

 to lose Mr. Crawley, one of the midshipmen, a 

 young gentleman of very good abilities, and much 

 regretted by all who knew him ; and on the 6th, 

 William Must, my steward, sunk under the same 

 complaint : on the 7th, great apprehensions were 

 entertained for Mr. Lay, the naturalist ; but fortu- 

 nately his complaint took a favourable turn, and he 

 ultimately recovered. The disease, however, con- 

 tinued among us some time, threatening occasionally 

 different portions of the ship's company. 



As we approached the Sandwich Islands, our 

 view was anxiously directed to the quarter in which 

 Owyhee* was situated, in the hope of obtaining a 

 sight of the celebrated Mouna Roa ; but the weather 

 was so unfavourable for this purpose, that the land 

 at the foot of the hills was the only part of the coast 

 which presented itself to our view. On the 18th, 

 we passed about thirty miles to windward of the 

 eastern points of the island ; and in the afternoon of 

 the following day, as it was too late to fetch the 



* More recently written Hawaii. 



