110 FROM TENERIFFE TO BRAZIL. 



prising how so small a bird could make such a long 

 journey ; whence it may be inferred, that we must 

 not always take it for granted that land is near, 

 when we see such a bird. On the 18th, in latitude 

 6" 48'; longitude 20° 28", we had the true S. E. 

 trade-wind ; but it was so south, that we were con- 

 strained to keep a very westerly course. * 



Since we had left the Cape Verd islands, the 

 current had driven us daily several miles to the 

 S. E. ; but to day it changed its course, and began 

 to drive the ship considerably to the west. We 

 sailed to-day over the point where Warleys-bank 

 is said to He, without seeing it ; its existence, there- 

 fore, appears very doubtful to me. On the 21st, at 

 noon, in latitude 3° 37", longitude 22° 44'', we 

 observed a large ship which sailed directly up to 

 us from the south ; she hoisted English colours, 

 and seemed as if she wished to speak to us ; the 

 Rurick lay to, and immediately a boat approached 

 us with two officers, and asked for news from Eu- 

 rope. This ship, which is called the Bombay, is 

 an East Indiaman, and was bound from Bombay 

 to England. We compared the longitude with our 

 chronometers, and found only 2' difference ; the 

 Englishman had begun his reckoning at the island 

 . of St. Helena, and, consequently, it could not vary 

 much from the truth. 



On the 23d, at eight o'clock in the evening, we 

 crossed the line, in longitude 26° 26''. I had de- 

 termined to keep this day as a holiday, for which 



