a good soaking.  We, however, benefited by it, as it gave us an opportunity of filling all our empty water-casks.  This heavy rain at last brought on a dead calm, which continued twenty-four hours, when it was succeeded by a breeze from S.W.  Betwixt this point and S. it continued for several days; and blew at times in squalls, attended with rain and hot sultry weather.  The mercury in the thermometers at noon, kept generally from 79 to 82.

On the 27th, spoke with Captain Furneaux, who informed us that one of his petty officers was dead.  At this time we had not one sick on board, although we had every thing of this kind to fear from the rain we had had, which is a great promoter of sickness in hot climates.  To prevent this, and agreeable to some hints I had from Sir Hugh Palliser and from Captain Campbell, I took every necessary precaution by airing and drying the ship with fires made betwixt decks, smoaking, &c. and by obliging the people to air their bedding, wash and dry their clothes, whenever there was an opportunity.  A neglect of these things causeth a disagreeable smell below, affects the air, and seldom fails to bring on sickness, but more especially in hot and wet weather.

We now began to see some of those birds which are said never to fly far from land; that is, man-of-war and tropic birds, gannets, &c.  No land, however, that we knew of, could be nearer than eighty leagues.

On the 30th at noon, being in the latitude of 2 deg. 35’ N., longitude 7 deg. 30’ W., and the wind having veered to the east of south, we tacked and stretched to the S.W.  In the latitude of 0 deg. 52’ N., longitude 9 deg. 25’ W., we had one calm day, which gave us an opportunity of trying the current in a boat.  We found it set to the north one-third of a mile an hour.  We had reason to expect this from the difference we frequently found between the observed latitude, and that given by the log; and Mr Kendal’s watch shewed us that it set to the east also.  This was fully confirmed by the lunar observations; when it appeared that we were 3 deg. 0’ more to the east than the common reckoning.  At the time of trying the current, the mercury in the thermometer in the open air stood at 75-1/2; and when immerged in the surface of the sea, at 74; but when immerged eighty fathoms deep (where it remained fifteen minutes) when it came up, the mercury stood at 66.  At the same time we sounded, without out finding the bottom, with a line of two hundred and fifty fathoms.

The calm was succeeded by a light breeze at S.W., which kept veering by little and little to the south, and at last to the eastward of south, attended with clear serene weather.

1772 September

At length, on the 8th of September, we crossed the Line in the longitude of 8 deg.  W.; after which, the ceremony of ducking, &c., generally practised on this occasion, was not omitted.

The wind now veering more and more to the east, and blowing a gentle top-gallant gale, in eight days it carried us into the latitude 9 deg. 30’ S., longitude 18 deg.  W. The weather was pleasant; and we daily saw some of those birds which are looked upon as signs of the vicinity of land; such as boobies, man of war, tropic birds, and gannets.  We supposed they came from the isle of St Matthew, or Ascension; which isles we must have passed at no great distance.