THEPACIFIC OCEAN. 179 



Monday 3. 



C H A P. X. 



Progrefs of the Voyage.^ after leaving the Society Ifands» — 

 Chri/imas IJlancl difcovered^ and Station of the Ships 

 there. — Boats fent afhore. — Great Succefs in catching 

 Turtle, — An Eclipfe of the Sun obferved. — Difirefs of 

 two Seamen who had lofi their Way. — hifcription left 

 in a Bottle. — Account of the IJland. — Its Soil. — Threes 

 and Plants, — Birds. — Its Size. — Form. — Situation.-^ 

 Anchori?ig Ground* 



AFTER leaving: Bolabola, I fleered to the Northward, t^'^^''- 

 " ' December, 



clofe-hawled, with the wind between North Eaft and 



Eaft; hardly ever having it to the Southward of Eaft, till 

 after we had croITed the line, and had got into North lati- 

 tudes. So that our courfe, made good, was always to the 

 Weft of North, and, fometimes, no better than North Weft. 



Though feventeen months had now elapfed fmce our de- 

 parture from England, during which, we had not, upon 

 the whole, been unprofitably employed, I was fenfible that 

 with regard to the principal objei5t of my inftrui^lions, our 

 voyage was, at this jtime, only beginning; and, tlierefore, 

 my attention to every circuniUancc that might contribute 

 toward our fafety, and our ultimate fuccefs, was now to be 

 called forth anew. With this view I had examined into the 

 ftate of our provifions at the laft iflands ; and, as foon as 

 1 had left them, and got beyond the extent of my former dif- 



A a i coveries, 



