to the Sir ait of Magellan, 7 



advance in latitude, but on the contrary course towards the 

 S.W. we gained a little southing, but still added more to our 

 Jongitude, and were consequently departing widely from the 

 meridian of Teneriffe, (]0^ 2'/ W. from Cadiz;) the point in 

 which, as we before said, it is customary to cross the Equi- 

 noctial. 



As two or three ships, which have cut the line much to the 

 W. of that meridian, have not been able afterwards to v/eather 

 Cape St. Augustine, on the coast of Brasil, other navigators 

 have been induced to keep as near to it as possible ; notwith- 

 standing that experience has uniformly shewn, that the calms 

 are more frequent and lasting, the sudden squalls and storms of 

 lightning more violent and terrible, towards the coast of ACrica, 

 than tlioy are towards the westward. In a climate of such a na- 

 ture, the voyage is unavoidably much protracted ; the stock of 

 water is exhausted ; and sickness, particularly the scurvy, is 

 introduced into the ship, producing effects the most dreadful. 

 The preservation of the health and lives of the ship's company 

 ought to be the principal object of a commander's solicitude; 

 not only because humanity requires it, but because it is the 

 only way to attain the accomplishment of the expedition 

 entrusted to him : and his care and attention ought to be more 

 particularly exerted in a long voyage, in which little or no re- 

 freshment or relief can be expected. From these considerations, 

 we resolved to follow such courses as would produce t\\Q great- 

 est southing, in order to be freed from those latitudes so sub- 

 ject to calms, squalls, and sudden gusts of wind. We had be- 

 sides observed that our frigate sailed remarkably well and close 

 to the wind, so that we had reason to hope, if we should fall a 

 little to the leeward, that we would soon recover a proper situ- 

 ation ; especially as we were very confident in our methods for 

 correcting errors in our reckoning, and in our calculations of 

 our position with respect to the American coast. 



The winds continued to blow from S.S.E. to S.E. with the 

 sky cloudy and squally, as is generally the case in these parts. 

 On the Sth we discovered a l^aw in one of our top-masts about 

 a yard long, and of considerable depth, which obliged us in 

 future to proportion our sail to what we thought the mast would 

 bear. 



On the 9th November, at 10 p. m. we crossed the equinoctial 

 line at 19^ W. from Cadiz, (S51^ 2*2' from the meridian of 

 Teneriffe, counted easterl}^) according to the time-piece 

 No. 16, which coincided with No. 71, and both within half a 

 degree of the longitude deduced from observations of the nioon's 

 distance from the sun. Our reckoning placed the frigate 54.' 



