At 6 oClock the Land of Sandy Cape extending from South 17° East to South 27° East distance 8 Leagues, depth of water 23 fathom which depth we kept all night as we stood to the westward with light airs from the southward - but between 12 and 4 AM we had it calm after which a gentle breeze sprung up at South with which we still kept on upon a wind to the westward. At 7 oClock we saw from the Mast head the Land of Sandy Cape bearing SE1/2E distant 12 or 13 Leagues - At 9 we discovered ^from ye Mast head land to the westward and soon after saw smooks upon it our depth of water was now decreased to 17 fathom and by Noon to 13, at which time we were by observation in the Latitude of 24°..28' and about 7 Leagues from the land which extended from SBW to WNW distant off the nearest part Leagues Longitude made from ^Sandy Cape 0°..45' West —
For these few days past we have seen at times a sort of Sea fowl we have no where seen before that I remember, they are of that sort called Boobies ——
before to day we seldom saw more than 2 or 3 at a time and only when we was were near the land. last night a small flock of these birds pass'd the Ship and went away to the NW and this morning ^from half an hour before sun rise to half an hour after flights of them were continualy coming from the NNW and flying to the SSE and not one was seen to fly in any other dire[c]tion from this we did suppose that there was a Lagoon, River or Inlet of shallow water to the southward of us where these birds resorted to in the day to feed and that not very far to the northward lay some Island where they retired to in the night —