TtfE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
*75 
All this time, we had a confiderable fwell from the North 
Eaft ; and in no period of the voyage did the fhips roll and 
ftrain fo violently. 
In the morning of the ift of April, the wind changed 
from the South Eaft to the North Eaft by Eaft, and blew a 
frefh breeze, till the morning of the 4th, when it altered 
two points more to the Eaft, and by noon increafed to a 
ftrong gale, which lafted till the afternoon of the 5th, at¬ 
tended with hazy weather. It then again altered its direc¬ 
tion to the South Eaft, became more moderate, and was ac¬ 
companied by heavy fhowers of rain. During all this time, 
we kept fteering to the North Weft, againft a flow but re¬ 
gular current from that quarter, which caufed a conftant 
variation from our reckoning by the log, of fifteen miles 
a day. On the 4th, being then in the latitude 26° 17^ and 
longitude 173 0 30', we pafied prodigious quantities of what 
bailors call Portuguefe men-of-war (holothuria phyfalls J, and 
were alfo accompanied with a great number of fea birds, 
amongft which we obferved, for the fir ft time, the albatrofs 
and fheerwater. 
On the 6th, at noon, we loft the trade wind, and were 
fuddenly taken a-back, with the wind from the North 
North Weft. At this time, our latitude was 29° 50'', and our 
longitude 170° T. As the old running ropes were con- 
ftantly breaking in the late gales, we reeved what new ones 
we had left, and made fuch other preparations, as were ne- 
ceffary for the very different climate with which we were 
now fhortly to encounter. The fine weather we met with 
between the tropics, had not been idly fpent. The carpen¬ 
ters found fufficient employment in repairing the boats. 
The beft bower cable had been fo much damaged by the 
foul ground in Karakakooa Bay, and whilft we were at an- 
10 chor 
1 779 - 
March, 
«-,- 1 
April. 
Thurfday I. 
Sunday 4. 
Monday 5, 
Tuefday 6. 
