290 



A VOYAGE TO 



Book VIII. 



from the former, and is to make the land fomewhere 

 between Nafca and Sangallan, as the coaft may be then 

 kept at a proper diftance, and the danger of falhng to 

 leeward of the port avoided : a misfortune which has 

 happened to many, who have been carried farther out 

 than they expeded 5 fo that after a long look out for 

 land, they find themfelves on its firft appearance to 

 leeward of their port. 



In winter, efpecially, too much care cannot be taken, 

 as from the continual thickncfs of the atmofphere, ob- 

 fervations cannot be made fo often as requisite fomc- 

 times not for five or fix days fucceflively at the fame 

 time the fight of land is entirely intercepted by the 

 dcnfity of the fog. This we experienced ; for after 

 we were anchored in Callao at only a quarter of a league 

 diflant from the land, the people on the fliore had no 

 fight of the fliips : and it was owing to our being very 

 near the coaft that we made the harbour ; for had we 

 been at a diftance, we fliould have been far to lee- 

 ward, when the weather cleared up. 



On the 25th of June, being the fecond day after 

 our departure from the ifland de Tierra de Juan 

 Fcrnandes, we faw a meteor like that we had be- 

 fore fe^n at Qiiito, namely, a globe of fire, or large 

 globe of in^ammable exhalations. It firft appeared 

 in the weft, at half an hour after three in the morn- 

 ing, and moved with great velocity for a confiderable 

 fpace towards the eaft, as if carried by the wind. 

 The light of this meteor was fuch, that the watch on 

 the quarter-deck could plainly diftinguifti every perfon 

 on the fore^caftle ; and both were not a little terrified; 

 The phenomenon lafted between three and four mi- 

 nutes, and half an hour after we felt two violent ftiocks, 

 at an interval of about a minute and a half betwixt 

 them, fo that all apprehended the fhip had ftruck on 

 fome ftioal but, on reflection, we concluded it to be 

 the .^IFcct of an earthquake. 



