177£« ROUND THE WORLD. 223 



Besides, this would have kept me two months longer 

 at sea, and in a tempestuous latitude, which we were 

 not in a condition to struggle with. Our sails and 

 rigging were so much worn, that something was 

 giving way every hour ; and we had nothing left, 

 either to repair or replace them. Our provisions 

 were in a state of decay, and consequently afforded 

 little nourishment, and we had been a long time 

 without refreshments. My people, indeed, were 

 yet healthy, and would have cheerfully have gone 

 wherever I had thought proper to lead them ; but I 

 dreaded the scurvy laying hold of them, at a time 

 when we had nothing left to remove it. I must say 

 farther, that it would have been cruel in me to have con- 

 tinued the fatigues and hardships they were continu- 

 ally exposed to longer than was absolutely necessary. 

 Their behaviour, throughout the whole voyage, me- 

 rited every indulgence which it was in my power to 

 give them. Animated by the conduct of the officers, 

 they showed themselves capable of surmounting every 

 difficulty and danger which came in their way, and 

 never once looked either upon the one or the other, 

 as being at all heightened by our separation from 

 our consort the Adventure. 



All these considerations induced me to lay aside 

 looking for the French discoveries, and to steer for 

 the Cape of Good Hope ; with a resolution, however, 

 of looking for the isles of Denia and Marseveen, 

 which are laid down in Dr. Hal ley's variation chart 

 in the latitude of 41-£° S., and about 4° of longitude 

 to the east of the meridian of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 With this view I steered N.E., with a hard gale at 

 N.W. and thick weather; and on the 26th at noon, 

 we saw the last ice-island, being at this time in 

 the latitude of 52° 52' S., longitude 26° 3V E. 



The wind abating and veering to the S., on the 

 1st of March, we steered W., in order to get farther 

 from Mr. Bouvet's track, which was but a few degrees 

 to the east of us, being at this time in the latitude of 



