LAND IN SIGHT. 107 
pest continued to rage, through a darkness 
which, but for the lightning, would have been 
total, while torrents of rain swept our decks. 
Nor did the return of light bring us much re- 
lief ; when about noon the heavens cleared for a 
short time, and allowed us a little respite; the 
storm set in again with renewed violence, and for 
four days and nights we were condemned to 
struggle with this tremendous weather. It is 
surprising how such tempests can arise at so 
great a distance from land. In the ship Rurik, 
in this same region, at the same season of 
year, I have before met with similar though 
scarcely such furious storms. On the 2nd of 
March the tropical wind returned, and brought 
with it clearer weather. It was indeed very 
hot, (Reaumur’s thermometer did not fall 
even in the night below 24,) but the whole 
crew continued in good health. On this eve- 
ning we calculated that we were in 15° 15’ lati- 
tude, and 139° 40’ longitude; and just as the 
sun was sinking, the man at the mast-head call- 
ed out that land was in sight. The pleasure 
of making a new discovery set all our tele- 
scopes in motion, and before night set in we 
