Ch.IV. south AMERICA. 341 



ried us northward. On the 17th they continued the 

 fame courfe, but on the i8th, we found 27 min. dif- 

 ference ; having fuddenly entered into waters of a 

 different courfe, that is, they again carried us fouth- 

 ward. Had this variety of differences been reported 

 only by a fingle perfon, doubtlefs from the ftrange- 

 nefs of the phenomenon, it would have been looked 

 upon as a miftake in the obfervation ; but the 

 reality of thefe dangers does not now admit of 

 any rational doubt. The obfervations were taken by 

 feven perfons, each with a different inftrument, one 

 of which was a quadrant invented by the celebrated 

 Mr. Hadley, and all agreed in the differences. From 

 the 1 8th day of the month to the 20th the diffe- 

 rence betwixt the latitudes by obfervation, and that 

 by account, proved to be 40 min. which was near 

 double of that which had appeared in the courfe of 

 the 1 8th; and on the 20th we were in the latitude of 

 43 deg. 8 min. and 38 deg. 57 min. E. of the meri- 

 dian of Conception. 



Notice has already been taken of the indifferent 

 condition of the Delivrance at our departure from 

 the ifland of Fernando de Norona. And thus it 

 continued till the i6th, when, whether it proceeded 

 from the working of the fhip or any other caufe, 

 the water increr.fed fo faft that the fhip was reduced 

 to that diftrefs, which had been the chief occafion 

 of our putting into the above ifland, and of our 

 long flay there. On the 20th it increafed upon us 

 in fuch a manner that the pumps were kept conti- 

 nually going the whole night; but on the 21ft it 

 fuddenly abated to near a fourth part of what it 

 had been the day before ; a moil feafonable relief to 

 the fliip's company fpent with a fatigue, which their 

 fears rendered fbill more painful. We obferved that 

 the water continued to decreafe from the time of 

 our getting into the fargafo or weeds, fo that on the 

 27th the fliip fcarce made an eighth part of the water 

 Z 3 as 



