94 
OFF CAPE ORFUI. 
but continued to preserve the same uninteresting aspect. In the 
afternoon the atmosphere became hazy and the wind freshened. 
September 26th. — Lat. 8° 0' N., long. 50° 0', therm. 78° at noon : 
in the evening it fell to 68°, when the weather became extremely 
cold to the feelings ; var. 5° 0'. ; wind S. W. At one o'clock 
in the afternoon, when distant about five leagues from the land, 
we met with a shoal of dead fish, many thousands of which lay 
floating on the surface of the water, and we continued to pass 
through them about five and thirty minutes, sailing at the 
rate of two leagues in the hour. Many of these fish were of 
a large size, and of several difi*erent species, chiefly of the 
genera sparus, labrus, and tetrodon. They bore the appearance 
of not having been long killed, from the freshness of their colour 
and the redness of their gills. The atmosphere continued hazy, 
and a heavy dew fell in the night. 
September 27th.— Lat. 10° 13' 30" N. at noon ; long. 51° 19', 
therm. 80°, var. 4.33. The wind blew fresh from the south- 
west during the night, and in the morning land of considera- 
ble height appeared at no great distance, which proved to be 
t^ape Delaqua, and soon afterwards we came in sight of Cape 
d'Orfui. The bay between these two Capes is so deep^ that 
we could not discern the land at the bottom as we passed 
across it. The form of Cape d'Orfui resembles that of an 
island with a blufl' point towards the sea, and it is backed by 
lofty and singular-shaped mountains. Admiral Eeaulieu an- 
chored under this Cape during a heavy storm, in July 1620, and 
attempted, but in vain, to have communication with the natives. 
The anchorage he describes to be in latitude 10° 1^ The varia- 
