J77^« ROUND THE WORLD. 191 



by keeping to the south I might miss the land said to 

 be discovered by La Roche in 1675, and by the ship 

 Lion in 1756, which Mr. Dalrymple places in 54° SO' 

 latitude, and 45° of longitude ; but on looking over 

 Danville's Chart, I found it laid down 9° or 10° more 

 to the west ; this difference of situation being to me 

 a sign of the uncertainty of both accounts, determined 

 me to get into the parallel as soon as possible, and 

 was the reason of my hauling to the north at this 

 time. 



Towards the morning of the 7th, the gale abated, 

 the weather cleared up, and the wind veered to the 

 W. S. W. where it continued till midnight ; after which 

 it veered to N. W. Being at this time in the latitude 

 of 56° 4' S. longitude 53° 8& W., we sounded, but 

 found no bottom with a line of one hundred and 

 thirty fathoms. I still kept the wind on the larboard- 

 tack, having a gentle breeze and pleasant weather. 

 On the 8th, at noon, a bed of sea-weed passed the 

 ship. In the afternoon, in the latitude of 55° 4', 

 longitude 51° 45' W., the variation was 20° 4' E. 



On the 9th, wind at N.E. attended with thick hazy 

 weather ; saw a seal, and a piece of sea-weed. At 

 noon, latitude 55° 12' S. longitude 50° 15' W., the 

 wind and weather continuing the same till towards 

 midnight, when the latter cleared up, and the former 

 veered to west, and blew a gentle gale. We con- 

 tinued to ply till two o'clock the next morning, when 

 we bore away E., and at eight, E.N.E; at noon, 

 observed in latitude 54° 35' S., longitude 47° 56' W., 

 a great many albatrosses and blue peterels about the 

 ship. I now steered E., and the next morning, in 

 the latitude of 54° 38', longitude 45° 10' W., the 

 variation was 19° 25' E. In the afternoon saw several 

 penguins, and some pieces of weed. 



Having spent the night lying to, on the 12th, at 

 day-break, we bore away, and steered east northerly, 

 with a fine fresh breeze at W. S. W. ; at noon observed 

 in latitude 54° 28' S., longitude in 42° 8' W. ; that is, 



