The hard gales, with frequent and violent squalls, and a heavy sea, soon returned, and continued with very little intermission. The ship pitched so much, that we were afraid she would carry away her masts, and the men were again wet in their beds.

On the 30th, the variation, by azimuth, was 8° 30’E. our latitude was 32° 50’; longitude, by account, 100’W. I began now to keep the ship to the northward, as we had no chance of getting westing in this latitude; and the surgeon was of opinion, that in a little time the sick would so much increase, that we should want hands to work the ship, if we could not get into better weather.

On the third of May, about four in the afternoon, we had an observation of the sun and moon, by which we found our longitude to be 96° 26’W. the variation by the azimuth was 5° 44’E. at six in the evening, and at six the next morning, it was 5° 58’E. Our latitude, this day at noon, was 28° 20’S. At four in the afternoon we had several observations for the longitude, and found it to be 96° 21’W.; at seven in the evening, the variation was 6° 40’E. by the azimuth, and the next morning at 10 it was, by amplitude, 5° 48’E.; at three in the afternoon, the variation, by amplitude, was 7° 40’E. This day we saw a tropic bird.

At six o’clock in the morning, of Friday the eighth of May, the variation of the needle, by amplitude, was 7 11’E. In the afternoon we saw several sheerwaters and sea swallows. At eight in the morning of the 9th, the variation by

Voyaging Accounts