g/56 COOK S SECOND VOYAGE JUNE, 



is an useful invention ; but I would advise no man to 

 trust wholly to it. For although you may, provided 

 you have plenty of fuel and good coppers, obtain as 

 much water as will support life, you cannot, with all 

 your efforts, obtain sufficient to support health, in 

 hot climates especially, where it is the most want- 

 ing ; for I am well convinced, that nothing contri- 

 butes more to the health of seamen, than having 

 plenty of water. 



The wind now remained invariably fixed at N. E. 

 and E. N. E. and blew fresh with squalls, attended 

 with showers of rain, and the sky for the most part 

 cloudy. On the 25th, in the latitude of 16° 1€' 

 north, longitude 37° 20' west,seeing a ship to wind- 

 ward steering down upon us, we shortened sail in 

 order to speak with her ; but rinding she was Dutch 

 by her colours, we made sail again and left her to 

 pursue her course, which we supposed was to some 

 of the Dutch settlements in the West Indies. In the 

 latitude of c 20° north, longitude 39° 45' west, the 

 wind began to veer to E. by N. and E. ; but the 

 weather remained the same ; that is, we continued to 

 have it clear and cloudy by turns, with light squalls 

 and showers. Our track was between N. W. by N. 

 and N. N. W. till noon on the 28th, after which our 

 course made good was N. by W., being at this time 

 in the latitude of °2\° %Y north, longitude 40° 6' 

 west. Afterwards, the wind began to blow a little 

 more steady, and was attended with fair and clear 

 weather. At two o'clock in the morning of the 30th, 

 being in the latitude of 24° 20' north, longitude 40° 

 47' west, a ship, steering to the westward, passed us 

 within hale. We judged her to be English, as they 

 answered us in that language ; but we could not un- 

 derstand what they said, and they were presently out 

 of sight. 



In the latitude of 29° 30', longitude 41° 30', the 

 wind slackened and veered more to the S. E. We 

 now began to see some of that sea-plant, which is 



