206 FROM THE ST. LAWRENCE ISLANDS 



as I plainly saw through the telescope, consist only 

 of naked rocks. On the hill which was first visible, 

 I observed a white spot. Towards evening, we 

 left this abode of the birds, and steered to the 

 southward. We found the latitude of the hill 16° 

 45' 3&' ; longitude, according to the chronometers, 

 169° 39' 21'' west. Declination of the magnetic 

 needle, 9° 47' east. 



The 21st of October. We concluded we were 

 near land, as a great number of ducks from the 

 N.W. flew to the S.E., where we lost sight of them. 

 According to Anson's chart we were in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Basso de la Villa Lobos. On Arrow- 

 smith's new chart of the south sea, no shoal is 

 marked, but w^e have reason to believe that there 

 is one here. 



The 30th. I had directed my course to Otdia, 

 and this morning, at eight o'clock, we got sight of 

 the island of Ormed, belonging to this group. 

 Kadu's joy at the sight of the well-known land, 

 was indescribable, and he could not conceive how 

 we had found these islands again, after wander- 

 ing about for so long a time. The wind, which 

 during Our whole voyage had been E., and E.N.E., 

 changed, to our great surprise, to S.E., as this phe- 

 nomenon is quite unusual in the tropics; black 

 clouds arose, w^hich I, however, did not regard, 

 as they moved but slowdy, and I therefore con- 

 tinued our course close to the wind, to double the 

 island of Otdia, and to penetrate to-day through 



