i8o AVOYAGETO 



^ '777; coverles, I ordered a furvcy to be taken of all the boat- 

 December. 



«— V — J fwain's and carpenter's (lores that were in the fliips, that I 

 might be fuliy informed of the quantity, (late, and condi:ion 

 of every article ; and, by that means, know how to ufe them 

 to the greateft advantage* 



Before I failed from the Society Iflands, I loft no opportu- 

 nity of inquiring of the inhabitants, if there were any iflands 

 i-n a North or a North Weft direcflion from them ; but I did 

 not find that they knew of any. Nor did we meet with any 

 thing that indicated the vicinity of land, till we came to 

 about the latitude of 8° South, where we began to fee birdsj 

 fuch as boobies, tropic and men-of-war-birds,, tern, and 

 fome other forts. At this time, our longitude was 205° Eaft. 

 Mendana, in his firft voyage in 1568*, difcovered an illand 

 which he named Ifla de Jefus, in latitude 6° 45' South, and 

 1450 leagues from Callao, which is 200° Eaft longitude from 

 Greenwich. We crolfed this latitude near a hundred leagues 

 to the Eaftward of this longitude, and faw there many of 

 the above-mentioned birds ; which are feldom known to go 

 very far from land. 

 Monday 22. In [jjc night, bctwecu the 22d and rjd, we crolTcd the 

 "« ay 23. ij^^ jj^ ^1^^ longitude of 203' i^' Eaft. Here the variation of 

 the compafs was 6° 30' Eaft nearly. 



AVf jnef. 24. On the 24th, about half an hour after day-break, land 

 was difcovered bearing Nortli Eaft by Eaft, half Eaft. Upon 

 a nearer approach, it was found to be one of thofe low 

 jftands fo common in this ocean ; that is, a narrow bank of 

 land inclofrng the fca within. A few cocoa-nut trees v»-cre 

 feen in two or three places ; but, in general, the land had 

 a very barren appearance. At noon, it extended from North 

 liaft by Eaft, to South by Eaft, half Eaft, about four miles 



* See Dalrymplc's CollctSlion, Vol. i. p. 45. 



6 diftant. 



