OF THE COMPASSES. 75 



was north, to know when we approached the 1S24. 

 shore, and having hitherto found the land so August. 

 erroneously laid down, it was but natural to 

 suppose that we should find the American 

 coast also to the eastward of its assigned place. 

 The wind fell on the morning of the 31st, and 

 before noon a calm, with thick fog, set in. 

 Although meridian altitudes and sights were 

 obtained, we yet remained entirely in the 

 dark as to our relative position with respect 

 to the land on either side of us. A light 

 breeze after noon enabled us to keep north- 

 west, as nearly as I' could judge, and in the 

 evening we made very low land, distant about 

 ten miles. Its northern extreme bearing n. 

 23° 43' E. and southern s. 86° 18" e. about 

 fifteen miles. We found ourselves setting as 

 if with a current towards the northern point, 

 and were confirmed in this conjecture by 

 evening sights, giving twelve miles easting 

 since noon, although we had steered north- 

 west (true.) Throughout the night we steered 

 north-west by the pole-star, and ran under easy 

 sail. Our soundings at ten P.M. were thirty 

 fathoms, between which and twenty-eight they 

 varied continually until thirty minutes after 

 two A.M. on the 1st of September, when we 



