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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. 
lst 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.) 
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 Scyllea pelagica, Medusa 
porpita, Syngnathus 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. 
18th. 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.” 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 4.¢. without a shadow (Gr. dextos). 
2 The Azores, of which Fayal is one. 
