K3f COOK S VOYAGE TO MARCH, 



tagious, it is not improbable that the Resolution 

 caught this disorder from the Dutch ships at Cracatoa. 

 In order to avoid this danger, when Mr. Williamson 

 was sent to the Indiaman in the entrance of the 

 Straits of Sim da, he had the strictest orders not to 

 suffer any of our people, on any account whatever, 

 to go on board ; and whenever we had afterward occa- 

 sion to have any communication with the Resolution, 

 the same caution was constantly observed. 



We were no sooner clear of Prince's Island, than 

 we had a gentle breeze from the west north-west ; 

 but this did not last long ; for the following day the 

 wind became again variable, and continued so till 

 the noon of the 25th, when it blew squally, and blew 

 fresh from the north. 



On the 22d at noon, being in latitude 10° 28' S., 

 and longitude 104° 14/, we saw great quantities of 

 boobies and other fowls that seldom go far from 

 land ; from which, we conjectured that we were near 

 some small unknown island. 



In the evening of the 25th, the wind changed sud- 

 denly to the southward, accompanied with heavy 

 rains, and began to blow with great violence. During 

 the night, almost every sail we had bent gave way, 

 and most of them were split to rags ; our rigging 

 also suffered materially, and we were, the next day, 

 obliged to bend our last suit of sails, and to knot and 

 splice the rigging, our cordage being all expended. 

 This sudden storm we attributed to the change from 

 the monsoon to the regular trade-wind ; our lati- 

 tude was about 13° 10' S. and we had made by our 

 reckoning about 4-§-° of longitude west from Java 

 head. 



From the 26th of this month to the 28th of March, 

 we had a regular trade- wind from the south-east to 

 east by south, with fine weather ; and, being in an 

 old beaten track, met no occurrence that deserved 

 the smallest notice. 



In the morning of the 28th of March, being in 



