io the Strait of Magellan. 



59 



xvinds; and, to avoid its fate, had only the chance of going 

 along with us, or of making the islands or coast of Africa. 



The medium of four series of distances of the sun and moon, 

 observed on the 6th and 8th days of May, whose extremes were 

 within eight minutes, being all that the weather had permitted 

 us to make in this quarter of the moon, placed the frigate 19' 

 to the E. of the position indicated by the time-piece; and three 

 series of distances of the moon from Regulus and Antares, ob- 

 served in the night of the 10th, gave twenty-six minutes in the 

 same direction. 



This evening we saw a bird resembling a pigeon, of an ash- 

 colour, having two forked feathers advancing much beyond the 

 rest of the tail. 



In proportion as we advanced in the northern hemisphere, we 

 found the winds to draw round very slowly from ME. to E. ; 

 and, on the 12th, in N. lat. 20°, and W. long. 33°, we had them 

 for the first time from the SE. quarter, which enabled us to 

 amend our direction, steering NNE. 5°. N. 



On the ]4th of May, in lat. 23°, and long. 32'^, the winds 

 came from S. to SW.; which gave us the more pleasure, as 

 such winds, in this time of the year, could hardly be expected. 

 We then stood NE. by N. in order to pass to the W. and N. of 

 the Azores ; by that means making sure of our way, and not 

 caring to sail to the S. and E. of those islands, although it was 

 a more direct course, lest we should fall into the calms which 

 in summer are generally found in that quarter. 



As we were ignorant of the political state of Europe since our 

 departure from Spain, we made preparations for our defence, 

 in the event of any hostile rencounter, exercising the men daily 

 to the use of the great guns. We were, in particular, anxious 

 to learn whether or not the truce lately concluded vv^ith Algiers 

 had been broken ; but the English vessel we spoke with in the 

 Line, could give no information on that head. 



On the loth, and following days, we saw floating past us 

 several quantities of sea- weed, of a kind which, according to M. 

 Frezier, abounds on the coast of North America, different from 

 that which grows in the Canaries and east coasts of the Atlan* 

 tic ; from which appearance we inferred that the west winds 

 had prevailed in this quarter. 



On the evening of the 16th we gave chase to a vessel a-head ; 

 and at H^p.m. got near enough to speak with her. It cost 

 some trouble to carry on the conversation ; and all that we could 

 learn, the captain speaking nothing but English, was, that he 

 came from the coast of Atrica, out thirty days, and bound for 

 Liverpool. We soon outsailed her, and returned to our former 



12 



