170 FROM CONCEPTION BAY 



May, in latitude 1° 1/46" N., longitude 177" 5\ 

 besides numerous sea-fowls, we observed one land- 

 bird ; but as land could not even be descried 

 from the mast-head, it is to be presumed, that it 

 must lie very low. The thermometer stood, for 

 several days and nights, at 23° ; a heat which is 

 very oppressive, particularly in a calm. I con- 

 sidered myself very fortunate in not having one 

 man sick on board. In the night, a dolphin, seven 

 feet long, the first on our voyage, was harpooned. 

 We made a trial to eat its flesh, which we found to 

 be very well tasted, much resembling beef, and 

 relished it the more, as we had had nothing but 

 salt-meat on our table for a long time. 



May 19th: latitude 8° 42' north, longitude 187° 

 19'. I had calculated my course to Kamtschatka, so 

 as to cross the northern part of Mulgrave islands, 

 as they were scarcely known at all, and appeared 

 to me worth an examination. To be certain of not 

 missing them, we sailed two days between the pa- 

 rallels of 8° and 9°, as, according to Arrowsmith's * 

 chart, we could not, in this latitude, pass through 

 the chain without seeing land. At three o'clock 

 in the afternoon, we crossed the chain, according 

 to our calculation, in latitude 8° 45' 59," north, 



* On my return, I became acquainted in London with this 

 celebrated geographer, who assured me, that he had laid 

 Mulo-rave's chain down in his chart, after some very uncertain 

 statements of several merchantmen. Even Captain Gilbert's 

 map contains nothing particular. 



