Indeed, Neither Birds, Nor Any
Other Thing Was To Be Seen, That Could Give Us The Least Hopes Of Finding
Any; And, Therefore, At Noon The Next Day, Being Then In The Latitude Of
47 Deg.
51' S., longitude 122 deg.
12' W., and a little more than 200 leagues from
my track to Otaheite in 1769, I altered the course, and steered S.E., with
a fresh gale at S.W. by W. In the evening, when our latitude was 48 deg. 22'
S., longitude 121 deg. 29' W., we found the variation to be 2 deg. 34' E., which is
the least variation we had found without the tropic. In the evening of the
next day, we found it to be 4 deg. 30' E., our latitude, at that time, was 50 deg.
5' S., longitude 119 deg. 1/2 W.
Our course was now more southerly, till the evening of the 13th, when we
were in the latitude of 53 deg. 0' S., longitude 118 deg. 3' W. The wind being then
at N.W. a strong gale with a thick fog and rain, which made it unsafe to
steer large, I hauled up S.W., and continued this course till noon the next
day, when our latitude was 56 deg. 4' S., longitude 122 deg. 1' W. The wind having
veered to the north, and the fog continuing, I hauled to the east, under
courses and close-reefed top-sails. But this sail we could not carry long;
for before eight o'clock in the evening, the wind increased to a perfect
storm, and obliged us to lie-to, under the mizen-stay-sail, till the
morning of the 16th, when the wind having a good deal abated, and veered to
west, we set the courses, reefed top-sails, and stood to the south. Soon
after, the weather cleared up, and, in the evening, we found the latitude
to be 56 deg. 48' S., longitude 119 deg. 8' W.[11] We continued to steer to the
south, inclining to the east, till the 18th, when we stood to the S.W.,
with the wind at S.E., being at this time in the latitude of 61 deg. 9' S.,
longitude 116 deg. 7' W. At ten o'clock in the evening, it fell calm, which
continued till two the next morning, when a breeze sprung up at north,
which soon after increased to a fresh gale, and fixed at N.E. With this we
steered south till noon on the 20th, when, being now in the latitude of 62 deg.
34' S., longitude 116 deg. 24' W., we were again becalmed.
In this situation we had two ice islands in sight, one of which seemed to
be as large as any we had seen. It could not be less than two hundred feet
in height, and terminated in a peak not unlike the cupola of St Paul's
church. At this time we had a great westerly swell, which made it
improbable that any land should lie between us and the meridian of 133 deg.
1/2, which was our longitude, under the latitude we were now in, when we
stood to the north.
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