SOUTH AMERICA. 



109 



gale of wind from north-east, which blew so strong 

 for about forty-eight hours, I could not venture to avail 

 myself of it in steering to the south-east, but was fore- 

 ed to lay to; whereas, had I been aware of the south- 

 west winds between the trades, which with a strong 

 easterly current, between latitudes four degrees and 

 thirty minutes and one degree thirty minutes north — 

 longitudes twenty-three and nineteen degrees west, 

 which set from two and a half knots the hour to three- 

 quarters of a knot, and from east by north to east 

 south-east, until it drifted us as much as two hundred 

 miles to the eastward, (by our chronometer) I might 

 have ventured to have entered the trades in longitude 

 forty-three degrees — and saved all the beating I af- 

 terwards had, to gain what I thought a prudent longi- 

 tude to venture out of the variables. — I was under the 

 impression that I ought to lose the north-east trade at 

 least as high as twenty-two or twenty-three degrees 

 west, as from all writers on this subject, you will find 

 that from latitude five degrees north, you get the wind 

 from about south, which gradually as you approach 

 the line, draws to south south-east, and after crossing 

 it to south-east which would force you down to about 

 twenty-seven degrees before you could gain the line, 

 from which point even it is not uncommon for dull 

 sailing ships, to fall in with the Brazil coast too far to 

 the north." 



When nearly under the line we were once more 

 blessed with clear skies, and a fine breeze drawing 

 gradually round to the south south-east, while plea- 

 sure and cheerfulness again lighted up the counten- 

 ances of every one. The temperature of the air was 

 delightfully refreshing, and when contrasted with the 



