i Bo 
A VOYAGE TO 
1779. when he lived, or what year this pretended difcovery was 
April. 3 J 
: made. 
According to Mr. Muller, the firft account of it given 
to the Public was in a chart publhhed by Texeira, a Por- 
tugueze geographer, in 1649, who places it ten or twelve 
degrees to the North Eaft of Japan, between the lati¬ 
tudes of 44 0 and 45 0 ; and announces it to be land feen by 
John de Gama , the Indian , in a voyage from China to New 
Spam. On what grounds the French geographers have 
lince removed it five degrees to the Eaftward, does not 
appear; except we fuppofe it to have been done in order 
to make room for another difcovery made by the Dutch, 
called Company's hand ; of which we fhall have occafton to 
fpeak hereafter. 
During the whole day, the wind was exceedingly un¬ 
fettled, being feldom heady to two or three points; and 
blowing in frelh gulfs, which were fucceeded by dead calms. 
Thefe were not unpromiling appearances ; but, after hand¬ 
ing off and on, the whole of this day, without feeing any 
thing of the land, we again heered to the Northward, not 
thinking it worth our while to lofe time in fearch of an 
objeft, the opinion of whofe exihence had been already 
pretty generally exploded. Our people were employed the 
whole of the 16th, in getting their wet things dry, and in 
airing the fhips below. 
We now began to feel very fharply the increahng in¬ 
clemency of the Northern climate. In the morning of 
-Sunday 18. the 18th, our latitude being 45 0 40', and our longitude 
160 0 25', we had fnow and fleet, accompanied with ftrong 
gales from the South Weft. This circumftance will ap¬ 
pear very remarkable, if we conftder the feafon of the 
year, and the quarter from which the wind blew. On the 
19th, 
