Ch.il south AMERICA. 309 



which I had two reafons. The firft, that I might be 

 able to judge of,the diftance the currents had carried 

 us to the eaftward. The fecond, was an unwillingnefs 

 to commit a freOi error by making an uncertain cor- 

 redion, as I was not fatisfied that there were any cur- 

 rents, and confequently unable to guefs at their velo- 

 city ; fome affirming they had found them \^ry vio- 

 lent ; and others as pofitively averting, that they had 

 never met with any. This was the cafe of the three 

 frigates when they entered the South- Sea : and the cap- 

 tain of the Delivrance informed me, that without at- 

 tending to the currents in going round the cape, in the 

 latitude of 62 degrees, his reckoning perfedly agreed 

 with the time of making; land ; and that feveral French- 

 men had done the like : but, on the other hand, it has 

 happened to fome, that when they imagined thenifelves 

 in the South-Sea by the place of the fhip according to 

 th^ir reckonings fleered N, E, till from the difap- 

 pointment of not falling in with the land, at the time 

 expeded, had convinced them that they had not wea- 

 thered the cape ; and accordingly fleering towards the 

 W. they have found their lufpicions confirmed by 

 making the coaft of Brafil, or Buenos Ayres. 



On the 2 ill of May, atone in the afternooq^ v/e 

 were under the meridian of Fernando de Norona, and 

 at above three quarters of a league diilant to the north- 

 ward of it. Whereas according to my computation, 

 the frigate was only 29° 56' E. of the meridian of 

 Conception ; but by the modern French map, laid down 

 from the obfervations fent to the academy of fciences, 

 in which the longitudes of all places are marked with 

 all the accuracy which diflinguifh'es the works of that 

 learned body, this ifland lies no lefs than 42^^, 32^, o^o"^ 

 E. of the meridian of Conception ; confequently the 

 difference between my reckoning, and the true longi- 

 tude of the ifland, being 12^, 36^, 30^-^, is the diftance 

 which the currents carried our frigate to tlie eaftward,, 

 cxclufive of her lee-way. 



X 3 O?^ 



I 



