A N

ACCOUNT

OF A

VOYAGE round the WORLD.

BOOK II.

CHA P. I.

The Passage from Oteroah to New Zealand; Incidents which happened on going a-fhore there, and while the

WE

Ship lay in Poverty Bay.

1769, August.

Friday 25.

E failed from Oteroah on the 15th of Auguft, and on Friday the 25th we celebrated the anniversary of our leaving England, by taking a Cheshire cheese from a locker, Tuesday 15. where it had been carefully treasured up for this occafion, and tapping a cask of porter, which proved to be very good. and in excellent order. On the 29th, one of the failors got fo drunk, that the next morning he died: we thought at first that he could not have come honeftly by the liquor, but we afterwards learnt that the boatfwain, whofe mate he was, had in mere good-nature given him part of a bottle of rum.

On the goth we faw the comet; at one o'clock in the morn- Wednef je. ing it was a little above the horizon in the eastern part of the heavens; at about half an hour after four it paffed the meridian, and its tail fubtended an angle of forty-two de

grees.

1769. Auguft.

Wednes. 30.

September. Friday 1.

Saturday 2.

Sunday 3.

Tuesday 19.

Sunday 24.

Wednef. 27.

Friday 29.

grees. Our latitude was 38° 20' S. our longitude, by log, 147° 6′ W. and the variation of the needle, by the azimuth, 7° 9' E. Among others that obferved the comet, was Tupia, who inftantly cried out, that as foon as it fhould be seen by the people of Bolabola, they would kill the inhabitants of Ulietea, who would with the utmost precipitation fly to the

mountains.

On the ift of September, being in the latitude of 40o 22 ́S. and longitude 174° 29′ W. and there not being any figns of land, with a heavy fea from the weftward, and strong gales, I wore, and stood back to the northward, fearing that we might receive fuch damage in our fails and rigging, as would hinder the prosecution of the voyage.

On the next day, there being ftrong gales to the weftward, I brought to, with the fhip's head to the northward; but in the morning of the 3d, the wind being more moderate, we loofened the reef of the main-fail, fet the top-fails, and plied to the weftward.

We continued our courfe till the 19th, when our latitude being 29° and our longitude 159° 29', we obferved the variation to be 8o 32 E. On the 24th, being in latitude 33° 18′, ·longitude 162° 51', we observed a small piece of sea weed, and a piece of wood covered with barnacles: the variation here was 10° 48′ E.

On the 27th, being in latitude 28° 59', longitude 169° 5', we faw a feal afleep upon the water, and several bunches of sea Thursday 28. weed. The next day we saw more fea weed in bunches, and on the 29th, a bird, which we thought a land bird; it somewhat resembled a fnipe, but had a short bill. On the ift of October, we saw birds innumerable, and another feal afleep upon the water; it is a general opinion that feals never go out of foundings, or far from land, but thofe that we faw.in thefe

October. Sunday 1.

6

these feas prove the contrary.

1769.

October.

the contrary. Rock-weed is, however, a certain indication that land is not far diftant. The next day, it being calm, we hoifted out the boat, to try whether there Monday 2. was a current, but found none. Our latitude was 37° 10', longitude 172° 54′ W. On the 3d, being in latitude 36° 56′, Tuesday 3. longitude 173° 27', we took up more fea-weed, and another piece of wood covered with barnacles. The next day we Wednes. 4. faw two more feals, and a brown bird, about as big as a raven, with fome white feathers under the wing. Mr. Gore told us, that birds of this kind were seen in great numbers about Falkland's Iflands, and our people gave them the name of Port-Egmont hens.

On the 5th, we thought the water changed colour, but Thursday 5. upon cafting the lead, had no ground with 180 fathom. In the evening of this day, the variation was 12° 50′ E. and while we were going nine leagues it encreased to 14° 2 ́.

On the next day, Friday, October the 6th, we saw land from Friday 6. the mast-head, bearing W. by N. and stood directly for it; in the evening it could just be difcerned from the deck, and appeared large. The variation this day was, by azimuth and amplitude, 15° 4' E. and by obfervation made of the fun and moon, the longitude of the ship appeared to be 180° 55′ W. and by the medium of this and fubfequent obfervations, there appeared to be an error in the ship's account of longitude during her run from Otaheite of 3° 16', fhe being so much to the weftward of the longitude resulting from the log. At midnight, I brought to and founded, but had no ground with one hundred and seventy fathom.

On the 7th, it fell calm, we therefore approached the land Saturday 7. flowly, and in the afternoon, when a breeze fprung up, we were fill diftant feven or eight leagues. It appeared ftill larger as it was more diftinctly seen, with four or five ranges