FROM GUAHON TO ST. HELENA. 277 



The 4th of March. We crossed at midnight 

 the tropic of Capricorn ; and the 1 '2th, when we 

 were in latitude 29° 19', longitude 313° 26', it 

 seemed that the monsoon which had hitherto 

 favoured us would leave us. The wind turned to 

 the north, and this sudden change was very sensi- 

 ble in the temperature : the wind blew cold upon 

 us, while the air was oppressively hot. Black 

 clouds spread over the horizon in the north, where 

 we observed constant lightning : the barometer 

 fell, and I expected a violent storm, which fre- 

 quently occurs on the southern point of Madagas- 

 car, where we then were. At midnight, while we 

 were just sailing with a fresh wand at seven knots 

 an hour, there came suddenly a calm ; the waves, 

 which were running in different directions, agi- 

 tated the ship : I thought the current must be vio- 

 lent here ; and it was proved by observations, the 

 next day at noon, that it had carried us forty-eight 

 miles and a half to the north, 72°. During the 

 calm we saw quite close to us (it was so dark that 

 we could scarcely distinguish objects at fifteen fa- 

 thoms distant) a large three-masted ship ; and as 

 the Rurick could by no means be made to obey 

 the helm, we expected to run foul of the other 

 ship, which would have been our destruction ; how- 

 ever, the wind, which had so often delivered us 

 when the danger was at the greatest, rose now at 

 the proper time, and fortunately separated us. 



The 17th of March. Latitude 32" W -, longi. 

 T 3 



