The north-west side of St. Antonio is four or five leagues in length; and rises abruptly from the sea, to hills which are high enough to be seen fifteen, or more leagues from a ship’s deck.  These barren hills are intersected by gullies, which bore marks of much water having passed down them.  By the side of one of these gullies, which was near the place where we lost sight of the boat, there was a path leading up into the interior of the island.  The south-west and south points are low; they lie N. 14 deg.  W. and S. 14 deg.  E. and are five or six miles asunder.  Between them, the land hollows back so as to form somewhat of a bay, which, if it afford good anchorage, as it is said to do, would shelter a ship from all winds between north and east-south-east.  We did not observe any beach at the head of the bay, perhaps from having passed at too great a distance.

No observations could be taken for fixing the situation of this island; but in 1795, Mr. Crosley and myself made the high land near the south-west point to lie in 17 deg. 00’ north, and by uncorrected lunar observations, in 25 deg. 12’ west; which agrees well with the position of the north-west point, as given by captain Vancouver.* The variation from azimuth on the evening of the 14th, before making the land, was 13 deg. 51’ west, and 13 deg. 3’ this evening, when four leagues to the west of it; the compass being placed on the binnacle, and the ship’s head south-south-west (magnetic) in both cases.  The true variation here, at this time, I judge to have been 12 deg. 24’ west.  Captain Vancouver observed 12 deg. 32’, in 1791; but it does not appear how the ship’s head was directed.

[* Voyage round the World, Vol.  I. page 10.]

Some distant land opened from the south point of St. Antonio, at S. 75 deg. 
E.; which I took to be a part of the island St. Lucia.

During the three days before making St. Antonio, the wind varied from the regular north-east trade, to east-north-east, and as far as south-east-by-east; and about the time of seeing the land, it dwindled to a calm.  For three days afterwards it was light, and variable between north and south-east; after which it sometimes blew from the north-west and south-west, and sometimes from the eastward.  These variable winds, with every kind of weather, but most frequently with rain, continued until the 23rd [SUNDAY], in latitude 11 deg. north and longitude 23 deg. west; when a steady breeze set in from the south-westward, and the weather became more settled and pleasant.  The clouds were sufficiently dense to keep off the intense heat of the vertical sun, but did not often prevent us from obtaining daily observations for the latitude and longitude.  At the same time with the south-west wind came a swell from the southward, which made the ship plunge considerably; and so far opened her leaks, that she again made two inches of water in the hour.

THURSDAY 27 AUGUST 1801