Towards C. Leeuwin.'] TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
scurvy, might have had an influence in producing the disease ; and 
if so, it was avoiding Scylla to fall upon Charybdis, and was truly 
unfortunate. 
At noon of the 23rd, we had reached the latitude 20° 50', and Saturday 23. 
were in longitude 105° 13' east, without having had soundings at 
100 fathoms ; I then steered a west course, lying to from eight in 
the evening till daylight; and at the following noon we observed in Sunday 24, 
20 0 49 south, and the longitude was 103° 49' east. This was more 
than half a degree to the west of Mr. Arrowsmith s position, and we 
neither had soundings at 140 fathoms, nor any thing in sight to 
betoken the vicinity of land; I therefore ran N. W. to get somewhat 
to the north of the latitude so* 40', and at dusk hauled up to the 
wind, as near to east as the ship could lie, to make further search in 
that direction. 
On the 25th, some tropic birds were seen; and the next day, Tuesday 26 . 
when our latitude was 20° 3 6' and longitude 104 55 > there were 
several birds of the petrel kind about the ship; very vague signs of 
land, it is true, but still they gave us hopes; and once we were flat- 
tered with the appearance of breakers, and bore away for them, but 
it was a deception. We continued to stretch eastward all the next Wednes. 2f. 
day; but the wind having veered from south to S. E., a good deal 
of northing was made with it; and having reached the latitude 19 0 53' 
and longitude 106° 41', without finding bottom, or any more signs 
of land, I tacked to the S. S. W. and gave up the search. 
It should appear from our examination, that the Trial Rocks 
do not lie in the space comprehended between the latitudes 20° 15' 
and 21 0 south, and the longitudes 103 0 25' and 106° 30' east. That 
they exist, does not seem to admit of a doubt, and probably they 
will be found near the situation assigned to them by the Dutch sloop; 
but no bank can extend in a line from thence at all near to Timor. 
The variations of the compass observed during our search for the 
Trial Rocks, were 3 0 west with the head N. W., 5 0 n* at E. by S., 
and 5 0 38' at E. S. E. ; and the mean, corrected to the meridian, 
will be 3’ 43' west, in 20° 33' south and 104° 20' east longitude. 
