the highest fouth latitude the winds and weather would permit me to keep, fo that I must have gone to the fouthward of the fituation affigned to the fuppofed continent called Davis's Land in all our charts. June. We continued our fearch till Wednesday the 17th of June, when, in latitude 28° S. longitude 1120 W. Wednes. 17. we faw many fea birds, which flew in flocks, and some rock weed, which made me conjecture that we were approaching, or had paffed by fome land. At this time the wind blew hard from the northward, which made a great sea, but we had notwithstanding long rolling billows from the southward, fo that whatever land there was in that quarter, could be only small rocky iflands; and I am inclined to believe that if there was land at all it was to the northward; poffibly it might be Roggewein's eaftern island, which he has placed in latitude 270 S. and which fome geographers have fupposed to be about feven hundred leagues diftant from the continent of South America, if indeed any credit is to be given to his account. It was now the depth of winter in these parts, and we had hard gales and high feas that frequently brought us under our courfes and low fails: the winds were also variable, and though we were near the tropic, the weather was dark, hazy, and cold, with frequent thunder and lightning, fleet and rain. The fun was above the horizon about ten hours in the four and twenty, but we frequently passed many days toge ther without feeing him; and the weather was fo thick, that when he was below the horizon the darknefs was dreadful; the gloominefs of the weather was indeed not only a disagreeable but a most dangerous circumstance, as we were often long without being able to make an observation, and were, notwithstanding, obliged to carry all the fail we could fpread, day and night, our fhip being fo bad a failer, and our voyage fo long, to prevent our perishing by hunger, which, with all its concomitant horrors, would otherwife be inevitable. We continued our course westward till the evening July. of Thursday the 2d of July, when we discovered land Thurs. 2. to the northward of us. Upon approaching it the next day, it appeared like a great rock rifing out of the fea: it was not more than five miles in circumference, and 1767. July. feemed to be uninhabited; it was, however covered with trees, and we faw a small stream of fresh water running down one fide of it. I would have landed upon it, but the furf, which at this season broke upon it with great violence, rendered it impoffible. I got ...foundings on the weft fide of it, at fomewhat lefs than a mile from the fhore, in twenty-five fathoms, with a bottom of coral and fand; and it is probable that in fine fummer weather landing here may not only be practicable but eafy. We faw a great number of fea birds hovering about it, at fomewhat less than a mile from the fhore, and the fea here seemed to have fifh. It lies in latitude 20° 2' S. longitude 133° 21′ W. and about a thousand leagues to the weftward of the continent of America. It is fo high that we faw it at the diftance of more than fifteen leagues, and it having been discovered by a young gentleman, fon to Major Pitcairn of the marines, who was unfortunately lost in the Aurora, we called it PITCAIRN'S ISLAND. Pitcairn's Saturd. 4. While we were in the neighbourhood of this ifland, the weather was extremely tempeftuous, with long rolling billows from the fouthward, larger and higher than any, I had feen before. The winds were variable, but blew chiefly from the S. S. W. W. and W. N. W. We had very feldom a gale to the eastward, fo that we were prevented from keeping in a high fouth latitude, and were continually driving to the northward. On the 4th, we found that the ship made a good deal of water, for having been so long labouring in high and turbulent feas, fhe was become very crazy; our fails alfo being much worn, were continually fplitting, fo that it was become neceffary to keep the fail-maker conftantly at work. The people had hitherto enjoyed good health, but they now began to be affected with the fcurvy. While we were in the Streight of Magellan, I caused a little awning to be made, which I covered with a clean painted canvas, that had been allowed me for a floor-cloth to my cabin, cand with this we caught fo much rain water, with but little trouble or attendance, that the people were never put to a short allowance of this important article: the awning also afforded shelter from the inclemency of the weather; and to to these precautions I imputed our having escaped the fcurvy fo long, though perhaps it was in fome measure owing to the mixture of spirit of vitriol with the water that was thus preferved, our Surgeon putting a small quantity into every cask when it was filled up. July. On Saturday the 11th, we discovered a small low, Saturd. 11. flat island, which appeared to be almost level with the water's edge, and was covered with green trees: as it was to the south, and directly to windward of us, we could not fetch it. It lies in latitude 22o S. and lon gitude 1410 34′ W. and we called it the BISHOP OF Ofnaburgh OSNABURGH'S ISLAND, in honour of his Majefty's Inland. fecond fon *. On the 12th, we fell in with two more small islands, Sunday 12. which were covered with green trees, but appeared to be uninhabited. We were clofe in with the fouthermoft, which proved to be a flip of land in the form of a half moon, low, flat, and fandy: from the fouth end of it a reef runs out to the distance of about half a mile, on which the fea breaks with great fury. We found no anchorage, but the boat landed. It had a pleasant appearance, but afforded neither vegetables nor water; there were however many birds upon it, so tame that they suffered themselves to be taken by hand. The other island very much resembles this, and is diftant from it about four or five leagues: they lie W. N. W. and E. S. E. of each other. One of them is in latitude 20° 38′ S. longitude 146° W. the other 200 34 S. longitude 146° 15' W. and we called them the DUKE OF GLOUCESTER'S ISLAND's; the Duke of variation here is five degrees east. These Iflands are Gloucefter's probably the land feen by Quiros, as the fituation is Inlands. nearly the fame; but if not, the land he faw could not be more confiderable: whatever it was he went to the fouthward of it, and the long billows we had here convinced us that there was no land near us in that direction. The wind here being to the eastward, I hauled to the fouthward again, and the next day, Monday Monday 13. the 13th, in the evening, as we were fteering W.S.W. we obferved that we loft the long foutherly billows and There is another Island of this name, among thofe that were discovered by Captain Wallis. July. 1767. feemed to be uninhabited; it was, ho Pitcairn's Saturd. 4. While we were in the neighbourho the weather was extremely tempeftu rolling billows from the fouthward, la than any. I had feen before. The wind but blew chiefly from the S. S. W. W. We had very feldom a gale to thi that we were prevented from keeping latitude, and were continually driving ward. found our flock of log-lines we had already converted all fame ufe I was fome time in supply this defect, but upon a that we had, by chance a urred rope. This, which necellary to pick On the 4th, we found that the sh |