392 HONOLULU. 



Island, in hopes of seeing it before night, which we did not succeed 

 in doing, and I was compelled to lay-to, owing to the dangers that 

 were reported to exist. By morning I found the ship had drifted so 

 far to leeward that it was impossible to reach the island without 

 spending much time in beating up. 



The wind now hauled so as to give us the hope that we might 

 reach Sydney Island ; but owing to its baffling us, and to the current, 

 we fell to leeward a second time. I then stood on to the southward, 

 for a supposed reef in latitude 5° S., but none was discovered. 



Feeling that it was necessary for us to be making our way to the 

 Sandwich Islands, on account of the shortness of our provisions, I 

 tacked to the northward, after having spent thirteen days in this 

 vicinity. 



On the 31st of August, we found a current setting thirty-three miles 

 S. 63° W. 



On the 1st of September, the current was found to have set us to 

 the south-by-west twenty-two miles ; and until the 4th, we had strong 

 breezes from east-by-north and east-northeast. On the 4th, we 

 crossed the line, in longitude 167° 45' 30" W., with delightful 

 weather, but met no westerly winds. For two or three days we had 

 seen several kinds of birds : tern, plover, boobies, and tropic-birds, 

 indicating that land was not far distant. 



On the 6th and 7th, we had changeable weather, short calms, 

 squalls, and fresh breezes, both fair and foul. The wind was gene- 

 rally from southeast to east-northeast. On the latter day, we expe- 

 rienced a current setting to the northeast. The winds appeared to be 

 affected by the time of the day, and were found to be regular in their 

 veering from one side to the other. The breeze is usually lost after a 

 shower of rain. We had now reached the latitude of 7° 10' N., 

 longitude 162° 25' W., and had passed the magnetic equator in latitude 

 3° S. 



On the 10th of September, the northeast trades were met with, in 

 latitude 8° N., and longitude 161° 10' W. 



On the 12th, the wind hauled to the northeast, when I tacked to 

 the southward and eastward ; but after a few hours I again put the 

 ship's head to the northward, deeming it advisable to run at once 

 through the trades. 



Until the 17th, we had light breezes, with occasional squalls, the 

 current setting to the westward. Our observations placed us in 

 latitude 21° 33' N., longitude 161° 37' W., which being about two 



