JUNE 1771 ASCENSION TO ENGLAND 451 



while on board her saw a common house martin flying about 

 the ship. 



29th. Fresh trade, which quickly relieved everybody 

 from the depression of spirits, etc., which is the constant 

 companion of the damp calms we have now passed through. 



1st June. Saw some gulph-weed to-day for the first 

 time. 



3rd. This day passed under the sun, and were for the 

 last time ascii. 1 



5th. Less gulph-weed than yesterday, so we began to 

 catch it by means of a pole with six large hooks fastened 

 at the end. Out of it we took Scyllcea pelagica, Medusa 

 porpita, SyngnatJius pelagicus, Lophius pelagicus, and Cancer 

 minutus. 



6th. More gulph-weed, in which took up several in- 

 dividuals of the afore-mentioned species, besides which were 

 caught Cancer pelagicus, and a shrimp not described. 

 Several tropic birds were seen, all of which flew in a 

 straight line towards the coast of Africa. 



18^. Saw three New England schooners cruising for 

 whales : sent a boat on board one, who told us that she had 

 yesterday spoken to an outward-bound Englishman, who 

 had said that all was peace in Europe, and that the 

 Spaniards had agreed to pay the Manilla ransom with 

 interest for one year, and a million of dollars for damages 

 done at Falkland's Islands. 



This vessel had by their own account been out five 

 weeks and caught nothing : they had chased a whale sixty 

 leagues into Fayal harbour, where they could not follow it, 

 as the Portuguese suffer no whaler to go into any of their 

 ports in the Western Islands. 2 They had, they said, no 

 meat on board, but lived upon what they could catch. They 

 readily sold us four large albecores, saying that they could 

 catch more. As for American news, King George, they 

 said, had behaved very ill for some time, but the colonists 

 had brought him to terms at last. 



1 i.e. without a shadow (Gr. <mos). 



2 The Azores, of which Fayal is one. 



