Ch.L south AMERICA. 305 



adding, that it was the more advifeable to embrace 

 thfs opportunity, advice having been received from 

 Europe, three or four days before their departure 

 from Conception, that France and England vi^ere at 

 war. But the captains from felfilh motives rejeded 

 this falutary propofal, though at the fame time they 

 muft be fenfible that the v/ant of water and provi- 

 fions, together with the bad condition of our fri- 

 gate, would unavoidably oblige them to put into 

 fome harbour. And this, in oppofition to the wor- 

 thy merchant's advice, they determined fhoul3 be 

 the defart iiland of Fernando de Norona for though 

 the Portuguefe of Brafil had fome time fmce fent 

 a colony thither, it was abandoned on account of 

 its fterility. The French India company alfo had 

 for fome time a fettlement there, but were obliged, 

 on the fame account^ to leave it and during the 

 time of that fettlement, the captam of the marquis 

 d'Antin had been there, and thence knew that it 

 abounded with water and wood, the two articles 

 moftly wanted. Don Pedro Arriago adhered to his 

 firft propofal, and it had doubtiefs been complied 

 with by the two frigates freighted by him, had not 

 the marquis a'Antin been in company, the captain of 

 which made ufe of fuch plaufible reafons in fupport 

 of his opinion, that it prevailed, and we accordingly 

 fleered for the harbour of Fernando de Norona. 



From the 2c th to the 26th of April, we had 

 calms and Iqualls, and from thence to the 8th of 

 May, when we found ourfelves in the latitude of 

 i6deg. 58 min. we had little wind, and variable 

 between the N. and E. but moftly at N. E. nearly. 

 On the 8th the wind began to freflien, and tho' for 

 feveral days it was at E. and E. N. E. we had it ge- 

 nerally at E.S.E. till our arrival at Fernando de No- 

 rona. Our courfe from the 20th of April, was as the 

 winds would permit, fometimes N. N. W. W. one 

 quarter northerly, and W. N. W. but from t-he 7th of 



Vol. ir. X May, 



