1779- TIIE pacific OCEAN. 355 



hauled round to the westward, the wind having 

 shifted in the afternoon to the northward. During 

 this day, we saw large flocks of gulls, several alba- 

 trosses, fulmars, and a number of fish, which our 

 sailors called grampuses ; but, as far as we could 

 judge, from the appearance of those that passed close 

 by the ships, we imagined them to be the kasatka, 

 or sword-fish, described by Krascheninicoff) to whom 

 I refer the reader, for a curious account of the 

 manner in which they attack the whales. In the 

 evening, a visit from a small land bird, about the 

 size of a goldfinch, and resembling that bird in shape 

 and plumage, made us keep a good look out for land. 

 However, at midnight, on trying for soundings, we 

 found no ground with forty-five fathoms of line. 



On the 17th, at noon, we were in latitude 45° 7', 

 by observation, longitude 154° 0'. The wind now 

 again coming to the westward, obliged us to steer a 

 more southerly course ; and, at midnight, it blew 

 from that quarter a fresh gale, accompanied with 

 heavy rain. In the morning, we saw another land 

 bird, and many flocks of gulls and peterels bending 

 their course to the south-west. The heavy north- 

 east swell, with which we had constantly laboured 

 since our departure from Lopatka, now ceased, and 

 changed suddenly to the south-east. In the forenoon 

 of the 18th, we passed great quantities of rock-weed, 

 from which, and the flights of birds above mentioned, 

 we conjectured we were at no great distance from 

 the southernmost of the Kuriles ; and, at the same 

 time, the wind coming round to the south, enabled 

 us to stand in for it. At two, we set studding-sails, 



It is not necessary to trouble the reader with the journal of the 

 Breskes, as it contains no new matter, and has been already 

 republished, and very satisfactorily animadverted upon by Mr. 

 Muller. — Voyages from Asia to America, &c. English Trans^ 

 lation, p. 78. 



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