3J4 cook's VOYAGE lO NOV. 



away, but the wind blew still so strong, that we 

 carried no other sail than the fore-sail, and the main 

 top-sail close reefed. About this time we saw a land 

 bird resembling a thrush, and a sugar cane ; at noon 

 the latitude, bv observation, was 21° 35', and longi- 

 tude 121° 35'. 



As our situation in longitude was now to the west 

 of the Bashee, according to Mr. Dalrymple's maps, 

 I perceived that Captain Gore was governed, in the 

 course he was steering, by the opinions of Commodore 

 Byron and Captain Wallis, with whom he sailed when 

 they passed these islands. The former placing it 

 near four degrees to the westward, or in longitude 

 118° 14'. In consequence of this opinion, at two we 

 stood to the southward, with a view of getting into 

 the same parallel of latitude with the islands before 

 we ran down our longitude. At six we were nearly 

 in that situation, and consequently ought to have 

 been in sight of land, according to Mr. Wallis's ac- 

 count, who places the Bashees near three degrees 

 more to the eastward than Mr. Byron. The gale at 

 this time had not in the least abated ; and Captain 

 Gore, still conceiving that the islands must undoubt- 

 edly lie to the westward, brought the ships to, with 

 their heads to the north-west, under the fore-sail and 

 balanced mizen. 



At six in the morning of the 26th, the wind having 

 considerably abated, we bore away west, set the top- 

 sails, and let out the reefs. At noon the latitude, 

 by observation, was 21° 12', and longitude 120° 25'. 

 We saw, this day, a flock of ducks and many tropic 

 birds, also dolphins and porpusses, and still continued 

 to pass several pumice-stones. We spent the night 

 upon our tacks ; and at six in the morning of the 

 27th again bore away west in search of the Bashees. 



I now began to be a little apprehensive, lest, in 

 searching for those islands, we should get so much 

 to the southward as to be obliged to pass to leeward 

 of the Pratas. In this case it might have been ex- 



