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the feas and fkies. 1 am going, however, to give 

 you what my memory can furnifh moft likely to 

 contribute to your amufement for a quarter of an 

 hour, in order to acquit myfelf as much as is pof- 

 fible of the promife I made you. 



We continued in the road the firft of July the 

 whole day, and the fecond we fet fail by the favour 

 of a gentle breeze at north-earl. The three firft 

 days the wind continued favourable, though in very 

 light breezes, which, from the calmnefs of the fea, 

 were fufficiently acceptable. It feemed as if it wanted 

 to lull us afleep before it mowed itfelf in all its fury. 

 The fourth or fifth, the wind changed, fo that we 

 were obliged to lie clofe-haul'd *. The fea grew 

 high, and for near fix weeks we were much toffed. 

 The winds fhifted continually, but were much of? 

 tener againft us than favourable, fo that we were 

 obliged almoft continually to ply to windward. 



On the ninth of Auguft our pilots believed them- 

 felves on the great bank of Newfoundland, and 

 they were not much miftaken ; they were even in 

 the right in reckoning fo, it being the bufinefs of a 

 good navigator to be always fomewhat a-head of his 

 fhip ; that is to fay, to fuppofe himfelf farther ad- 

 vanced than he really is ; but from the 9th to the 

 1 6th, we fcarce made any way at all. What is 

 called the great bank of Newfoundland, is properly 

 a mountain, hid under water, about fix hundred 

 French leagues from the weftern fide of that king- 

 dom. The Sieur Denys, who has given the world 

 an excellent work on North- America, and a very 

 inftru&ive treatife, gives this mountain an hundred 

 and fifty leagues in extent, from north tq fouth ; 



* To lie cloJe-hauPd) that is, to fail alzjioll dire&ly agaicfl 

 fhs wind f or as nearly as poifrbje. 



hut 



