A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 822 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 822 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14.

By the Watch, 133 44 0 west. 
My reckoning, 133 39 0
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Variation of the compass, 6 2 0 East.
thermometer, 50 0 0

The next morning we observed again, and the results were agreeable to the preceding observations, allowing for the ship’s run.  I must here take notice, that our longitude can never be erroneous, while we have so good a guide as Mr Kendall’s watch.  This day, at noon, we steered E.N.E. 1/2 E., being then in the latitude of 49 deg. 7’ S., longitude 131 deg. 2’ W.

On the 9th, in latitude 48 deg. 17’ S., longitude 127 deg. 10’ W., we steered east, with a fine fresh gale at west, attended with clear pleasant weather, and a great swell from the same direction as the wind.

In the morning of the 10th, having but little wind, we put a boat in the water, in which some of the officers went and shot several birds.  These afforded us a fresh meal; they were of the peterel tribe, and such as are usually seen at any distance from land.  Indeed, neither birds, nor any other thing was to be seen, that could give us the least hopes of finding any; and, therefore, at noon the next day, being then in the latitude of 47 deg. 51’ S., longitude 122 deg. 12’ W., and a little more than 200 leagues from my track to Otaheite in 1769, I altered the course, and steered S.E., with a fresh gale at S.W. by W. In the evening, when our latitude was 48 deg. 22’ S., longitude 121 deg. 29’ W., we found the variation to be 2 deg. 34’ E., which is the least variation we had found without the tropic.  In the evening of the next day, we found it to be 4 deg. 30’ E., our latitude, at that time, was 50 deg. 5’ S., longitude 119 deg. 1/2 W.

Our course was now more southerly, till the evening of the 13th, when we were in the latitude of 53 deg. 0’ S., longitude 118 deg. 3’ W. The wind being then at N.W. a strong gale with a thick fog and rain, which made it unsafe to steer large, I hauled up S.W., and continued this course till noon the next day, when our latitude was 56 deg. 4’ S., longitude 122 deg. 1’ W. The wind having veered to the north, and the fog continuing, I hauled to the east, under courses and close-reefed top-sails.  But this sail we could not carry long; for before eight o’clock in the evening, the wind increased to a perfect storm, and obliged us to lie-to, under the mizen-stay-sail, till the morning of the 16th, when the wind having a good deal abated, and veered to west, we set the courses, reefed top-sails, and stood to the south.  Soon after, the weather cleared up, and, in the evening, we found the latitude to be 56 deg. 48’ S., longitude 119 deg. 8’ W.[11] We continued to steer to the south, inclining to the east, till the 18th, when we stood to the S.W., with the wind at S.E., being at this time in the latitude of 61 deg. 9’ S., longitude 116 deg. 7’ W. At ten o’clock in the evening, it fell calm, which continued till two the next morning, when a breeze sprung up at north, which soon after increased to a fresh gale, and fixed at N.E.  With this we steered south till noon on the 20th, when, being now in the latitude of 62 deg. 34’ S., longitude 116 deg. 24’ W., we were again becalmed.

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A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 14 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.