Cm. I. SOUTH AMERICA. 303 



we hoifted out our boat, for the carpenters to nail 

 flieet lead over the Teams ; but the fca ran too high 

 for them to execute it. 



On the coth the wind blowing firong at N. and 

 N. E. one quarter northerly, and the fea running high, 

 we laid to, under our mainfail ; but rain corain^T on, 

 we had, next day, moderate weather. The wind 

 continued in the fame quarter till the '25th, but little 

 of it, with fogs and fnowers. We were now in the 

 latitude of 2^/ >+' ^^'^ 30° 5' E. of the meridian of 

 Conception. During thefe days we faw feveral birds, 

 but in much lefs numbers than before ; fome of them 

 very ditferent, as black Fárdelas, and others of the 

 fame colour, but of^an unknown fpecies. 



The water in our iliips was now fo greatly in- 

 creafed, and our men fo fpenc with continually la- 

 bouring at the pump, that we had thoughts of quit- 

 ting her i and doubtlefs this would have been done 

 fome days before had it not been for her valuable 

 cargo; having on board near two millions of Peru- 

 vian dollars, a million and a half of which was in 

 gold and filver, and flowed under the cacao ilie had 

 taken in at Guayaquil. In order therefore in fome 

 mcafure to keep out the water, a fail quilted with 

 oakum, and iliot failcned to the clues to fink it, 

 was lowered into the water from the -head of the 

 fliip ; but this expedient had little effetb. For though 

 at firft the water did not feem to enter with the ra- 

 pidity as before, yet the oakum which prevented it, 

 was foon carried away, when our condition was not 

 mended in the leaft. 



From the 29th, when we were in the latitude 

 of 35° 38' and 23° 27' E. of the meridian of Concep- 

 tion, our courfe was W. N. W. till the 4th of April, 

 when till the 20t:i we fleered between the N.E. and 

 E. N. E. with the fame variable weather, fliowers, 

 hard gales, and calms. So that during this long inter- 

 val of twenty- nine days, our latitude diminiihe;1 little 



more 



