On the 30th, at seven o’clock in the morning, we weighed, and steered to the northward, along the east and north east side of the island, but could find no anchoring-place; we bore away therefore, with a fresh gale at S.E. and hazey weather, and at noon, the middle of the island was distant eight leagues, in the direction of S.S.E. I continued to steer N. 3° W. the next day, and at noon on the 2d of May, I changed my course, and steered W. intending, if possible, to make the land, which is called Davis’s Land in the charts, and is laid down in latitude 27° 30’S. and about five hundred leagues west of Copiapo in Chili; but on the 9th, finding little prospect of getting to the westward, in the latitude which I at first proposed, being then in latitude 26° 46’S., longitude 94° 45’W. and having a great run to make, I determined to steer a north west course till I got the true trade-wind, and then to stand to the westward till I should fall in with Solomon’s Islands, if any such there were, or make some new discovery.

On the 10th, we saw several dolphins and bonettas about the ship, and the next day some straggling birds, which were brown on the back and the upper part of their wings, and white on the rest of the body, with a short beak, and a short pointed tail. The variation was now decreased to 4° 45’E. our latitude was 24° 30’S. our longitude 97° 45’W.

On the 14th, we saw several grampuses, and more of the birds which have just been described, so that, imagining we might be near some land, we kept a good look-out, but saw nothing. In latitude 23° 2’S. longitude 101° 28’W. the variation, by azimuth, was 3° 20’E.

Voyaging Accounts