NORTH WEST COAST OF AMERICA. ji 



favoured with a fleady breeze at South Well or South South ^ "jj^ ^• 

 Weft, efpecially as we had a prodigious fwell from that <- ■ ^ ■ -/ 

 quarter, and the clouds moved brifkly towards the North March. 

 Eaft ; but now it again hauled to the Weft ward. Indeed ap- "^ '^**' ''" 

 pearances of this nature are not to be depended on in 

 thefe feas, as we have been regularly difappointed in them, 

 for three weeks paft. Towards noon the water changed 

 colour and had the appearance of foundings ; if fo, it, 

 muft be a conftderable diftance from fhore, our latitude 

 being 44** 20' South, and the longitude 79** 49'. 



On the loth we had 10° 41' Eafterly variation, and on Friday la. 

 the 1 2th it was 15° 7' Eaft. As the variation had gra- Sunday 12. 

 dually been decreaftng for fome time paft, I cannot ac- 

 count for fo material a difference, except that on the loth 

 we were rather more to the Eaftward, and confequently 

 nearer the land, which poftibly might have fome effecSt on 

 the compafs. The wind ftill continued to the Weftward, and 

 brought on fo thick a fog that we feldom faw each other ; 

 yet we were fortunate enough not to part company. On 

 the 15th, the weather clearing up, we got a meridian Wednef. 15, 

 altitude, which gave 42° 14' South latitude; the longitude 

 by lunar obfervation was 85° 4', and the variation 1 2° 3' Eaft. 



The fog was fucceeded by fqually un fettled weather, 

 with frequent heavy rains, and fometinjes light fnow 

 ftorms, which, however, were of ftiort duration, and the 

 weather gradually became temperate and pleafant, but the 

 wind ftill continued to the Northward and Weftward. 



On the 21ft the latitude was 36° 17' South, and the Tuefdayji. 

 mean refult of feveral fets of human obfervations gave 



H 2 88" 



