THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
3i5 
the entrance. When arrived to the North of the North 
head-land of the Eaftern harbour, the fhoal is paft. 
In failing into the harbour of St. Peter and St. Paul, and 
approaching the village, it is neceftary to keep in clofe to 
the Eaftern ftiore, in order to avoid a fpit, which runs from 
the head-land to the South Weft of the town. 
Before I proceed to give a table of the refult of our af- 
tronomical obfervations at this place, it may be proper to 
acquaint the Reader, that the time-keeper we had on board 
the Refolution, which was an exact copy of that invented 
by Mr. Harrifon, and executed by Mr. Kendal, flopped on 
the 27th of April, a few days before we firft came into 
Awatika Bay. It had been always kept with the moft 
fcrupulous care during the voyage, having never been 
trufted for a moment into any other hands than thofe of 
Captain Cook and mine. No accident could, therefore, 
have happened to it, to which we could attribute its flop¬ 
ping ; nor could it have arifen from the effedls of intenfe 
cold, as the thermometer was very little below the freezing 
point. As foon as the difcovery was made, I confulted with 
Captain Clerke, what courfe it was beft to purfue; whether 
to let it remain as it was, entirely ufelefs to us, for the pur- 
pofe of fatisfying the curious at home, where it was fure 
of being examined by proper judges, or Buffer it to be in- 
fpecled by a feaman on board, who had ferved a regular 
apprenticefhip to a watch-maker in London; and appeared 
fufficiently knowing in the bufinefs, from his fuccefs in 
cleaning and repairing feveral watches fince we had been 
out. The advantages we had derived from its accuracy 
made us extremely unwilling to be deprived of its ufe dur¬ 
ing the remaining part of the voyage ; and that obje6l ap¬ 
peared to us of much greater importance than the fmall 
S f 2 degree 
1779. 
October. 
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