THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 



407 



found it continuing in the fame direction, but increafed in -v l ?79- 



November. 



its rapidity to five miles an hour; as we left the fhore it > ^— - > 



again became more moderate and inclined to the Eaftward; 

 on the 3d, at the diftance of fixty leagues, it fet to the Eaft 

 North Eaft, three miles an hour; on the 4th and 5th, it 

 turned to the Southward, and at one hundred and twenty 

 leagues from the land, its direction was South Eaft, and its 

 rate not more than a mile and half an hour : on the 6th and 

 7th, it again fhiftcd round to the North Eaft, its force gra- 

 dually diminifliing till the 8th ; when we could no longer 

 perceive any at all. 



During the 4th and 5th, we continued our courfe to the Thurfday^. 

 South Eaft, having very unfettled weather, attended with n ay 5 ' 

 much lightning and rain. On both days we pafTed great 

 quantities of pumice ftone, feveral pieces of which we took 

 up and found to weigh from one ounce to three pounds. 

 We conjectured that thefe ftones had been thrown into the 

 fea, by eruptions of various dates, as many of them were 

 covered with barnacles, and others quite bare. At the fame 

 time, we faw two wild ducks, and feveral fmall land birds, 

 and had many porpuffes playing round us. 



On the 6th, at day-light, we altered our courfe to the Saturdays, 

 South South Weft; but at eight in the evening, we were 

 taken back, and obliged to fleer to the South Eaft. On the 

 7th, at noon, we faw a fmall land bird, our latitude, by Sunday 7 . 

 obfervation at this this time, being 33 52', and longitude 

 148 43'. On the 9th, we were in latitude 31* 46', longitude Tuefday 9 . 

 146 20', when we again faw a fmall land bird, a tropic 

 bird, porpuffes, flying fifties, and had a great fwell from 

 the Eaft South Eaft. We continued our courfe to the South 

 Weft, having the winds from the Northward, without any 



3 remarkable 



