Towards the Cape.~\ 
TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
31 
before ; indeed if the Isle had existed between the longitudes of September 
20° and 25 0 , it must have been repeatedly seen. I therefore Tllurstla y 10 > 
think it may be asserted, that there is no land between 17 0 and 25 0 
west, either in, or about the latitude of 25' south. The track of 
Mons. de la Perouse cuts that parallel in longitude \6° ; and he saw 
no other marks of the vicinity of land than the man-of-war birds 
which had followed him for several days. If the presence of these 
birds be any indication of land, I should suppose that there was some 
lying between the 1 ith and 16th degrees of west longitude ; and if 
such an island as St. Paul exist, it will probably be found within 
those limits. 
Having lost all hope of finding this island, I could have wished 
to recross the equator and run in the latitude of 55" north ; in which 
parallel the isle Pennedo de St. Pedro, sometimes also called St. Paul, 
is said to be situate. In Arrowsmith's general chart, it is marked in 
24 0 west longitude, whilst another authority places it to the west of 
27 0 ,* but I considered that the search might carry me as far as 29 0 , 
and perhaps further ; and my orders being silent with respect to 
these islands, I did not think myself authorized to thus occupy so 
much time ; and we therefore hauled to the south-westward on the 
afternoon of the 10th, as before mentioned. On the following day, Friday n. 
a gannet was seen, which seemed to imply that our situation of i|° 
south, and 2i-f° west, was not far removed from some island or rock ; 
for I do not recollect to have seen this bird at a greater distance 
from land than thirty leagues. 
The trade wind varied from south-south-east to east-south-east, 
and commonly blew fresh, with frequent squalls. The swell from the 
southward, with which these winds were for some days accompanied, 
caused the ship to work so much, that she soon let in as great a quan- 
tity of water on this tack, as she before had done on the other ; I 
* Voyage of La Perouse, page 50 of the London translation. I am lately informed, 
that Pennedo de St. Pedro lies in latitude 0° 55' north, and longitude 27° 0' west; that 
it makes like four sail of ships, and is covered with birds, but affords no water. 
