Ulloa says, “This island hath two harbours capable of receiving ships of the greatest burden; one is on the north side, and the other is on the N.W.  The former is, in every respect, the principal, both for shelter and capacity, and the goodness of its bottom; but both are exposed to the north and west, though these winds, particularly the north, are periodical, and of no long continuance.”  He further says, “That you anchor in the north harbour (which is no more than what I would call a road) to thirteen fathoms water, one-third of a league from shore, bottom of fine sand; the peaked hill above-mentioned bearing S.W. 2 deg. southerly."[18]

[Footnote 18:  See Don Antonio d’Ulloa’s Book, vol. ii. chap. 3. page 95 to 102, where there is a very particular account of this island.]

This road seems to be well sheltered from the south and east winds.  One of my seamen had been on board a Dutch India ship, who put in at this isle in her way out in 1770.  They were very sickly, and in want of refreshments and water.  The Portuguese supplied them with some buffaloes and fowls; and they watered behind one of the beaches in a little pool, which was hardly big enough to dip a bucket in.  By reducing the observed latitude at noon to the peaked hill, its latitude will be 3 deg. 53’ S.; and its longitude, by the watch, carried on from St Helena, is 32 deg. 34’ W.; and by observations of the sun and moon, made before and after we made the Isle, and reduced to it by the watch, 32 deg. 44’ 30” W. This was the mean result of my observations.  The results of those made by Mr Wales, which were more numerous, gave 32 deg. 23’.  The mean of the two will be pretty near the watch, and probably nearest the truth.  By knowing the longitude of this isle, we are able to determine that of the adjacent east coast of Brazil; which, according to the modern charts, lies about sixty or seventy leagues more to the west.  We might very safely have trusted to these charts, especially the variation chart for 1744, and Mr Dalrymple’s of the southern Atlantic ocean.[19]

[Footnote 19:  Ulloa says, that the chart places this island sixty leagues from the coast of Brazil; and that the Portuguese pilots, who often make the voyage, judge it to be eighty leagues; but, by taking the mean between the two opinions, the distance may be fixed at seventy leagues.]

On the 11th, at three o’clock in the afternoon, we crossed the equator in the longitude of 32 deg. 14’ W. We had fresh gales at E.S.E., blowing in squalls, attended by showers of rain, that continued at certain intervals, till noon the next day, after which we had twenty-four hours fair weather.

At noon on the 13th, being in the latitude of 3 deg. 49’ N., longitude 31 deg. 47’ W., the wind became variable, between the N.E. and S.; and we had light airs and squalls by turns, attended by hard showers of rain, and for the most part dark gloomy weather, which continued till the evening of the 15th, when, in the latitude of 5 deg. 47’ N., longitude 31 deg.  W., we had three calm days, in which time we did not advance above ten or twelve leagues to the north.  We had fair weather and rain by turns; the sky, for the most part, being obscured, and sometimes by heavy dense clouds which broke in excessive hard showers.