i 7 4 



A VOYAGE TO 



1779- and increafed to a ftrong gale, which fplit fome of our old 



March. iil ... , .. 



■ -.-._' fails, and made the running rigging very frequently give 

 way. This gale laded twelve hours ; it then became more 



Thurfdayzs- moderate, and continued fo, till the 25th at noon, when 

 we entirely loft it, and had only a very light air. 



Fiday 2 6. On the 26th in the morning, we thought we faw land to 



the Weft South Weft, but, after running about fixteen 

 leagues in that direction, we found our miftake j and night 

 coming on, we again fleered Weft. Our latitude, at this 

 time, was 19 45', which was the greateft Southing we 

 made in this run; our longitude was 183 8 , and varia- 

 tion i2 e 45' Eaft. We continued in this courfe, with little 



Monday 29. alteration in the wind, till the 29th, when it fliifted to the 

 South Eaft and South South Eaft, and, for a few hours in 

 the night, it was in the Weft ; the weather being dark and 

 cloudy, with much rain. We had met, for fome days paft, 

 feveral turtles, one of which was the fmalleft I ever faw, 

 not exceeding three inches in length. We were alfo accom- 

 panied by man-of-war birds, and boobies of an unufual 

 kind, being quite white (except the tip of the wing, which 

 was black), and eafily miftaken, at firft fight, for gannets. 



The light winds which we had met with for fome time 

 paft, with the prefent unfcttled ftate of the weather, and the 

 little appearance of any change for the better, induced Cap- 

 tain Clerke to alter his plan of keeping within the tropical 

 latitudes ; and accordingly, at fix this evening, we began 

 to fteer North Weft by North, at which time our latitude 

 was 20 23', and our longitude 180* 40'. During the 

 continuance of the light winds, which prevailed almoft 

 conftantly ever fincc our departure from the Sandwich 

 hlands, the weather was very clofe, and the air hot and 



fultry; 



