A General History & Collection of Voyages and Travels ... - Nauticus

eeze from the westward. During the calm, having been carried by the currents and a S.E. swell, fourleagues to the W.N.W., we passed Hinchinbrook Isle, saw the western extremity of Sandwich Island,bearing S.S.W., about five leagues distant, and at the same time discovered a small island to the west ofthis direction. After getting the westerly breeze, I steered S.E. in order to pass between Montagu Isle andthe north end of Sandwich Island. At noon we were in the middle of the channel, and observed in latitude17° 31' S. The distance from one island to the other is about four or five miles; but the channel is not muchabove half that breadth, being contracted by breakers. We had no soundings in it with a line of fortyfathoms.As we passed Montagu Isle several people came down to the sea-side, and, by signs, seemed to invite usashore. Some were also seen on Sandwich Island, which exhibited a most delightful prospect, beingspotted with woods and lawns, agreeably diversified over the whole surface. It hath a gentle slope from thehills, which are of a moderate height, down to the sea coast. This is low, and guarded by a chain ofbreakers, so that there is no approaching it at this part. But more to the west, beyond Hinchinbrook Island,there seemed to run in a bay sheltered from the reigning winds. The examining it not being so much anobject, with me as the getting to the south, in order to find the southern extremity of the Archipelago, withthis view I steered S.S.E., being the direction of the coast of Sandwich Island. We had but just got throughthe passage, before the west wind left us to variable light airs and calms; so that we were apprehensive ofbeing carried back again by the currents, or rather of being obliged to return, in order to avoid being drivenon the shoals, as there was no anchorage, a line of an hundred and sixty fathoms not reaching to thebottom. At length a breeze springing up at S.W. we stood to S.E., and at sun-set the Monument bore N. 14°30' W., and Montagu Island N. 28° W. distant three leagues. We judged we saw the S.E. extremity ofSandwich Island, bearing about S. by E.We continued to stand S.E. till four a.m. on the 27th, when we tacked to the west. At sun-rise, havingdiscovered a new land bearing south, and making in three hills, this occasioned us to tack and standtowards it. At this time Montagu Isle bore N. 52° W., distant thirteen leagues; at noon it was nearly in thesame direction, and the new land extended from S. 1/2 E. to S. by W., and the three hills seemed to beconnected. Our latitude by observation, was 18° 1' S., and the longitude, made from Port Sandwich, 1° 23'E. We continued to stand to the S.E., with a gentle breeze at S.W. and S.S.W. till the 28th at sun-rise,when, the wind veering to the south, we tacked and stood to the west. The three hills mentioned above, wenow saw, belonging to one island, which extended from S. 35° to 71° W. distant about ten or twelveleagues.[2][2] "Our ship now probably resembled an hospital; the poisoned patients were still in a deplorablesituation; they continued to have gripes and acute pains in all their bones: In the day time they werein a manner giddy, and felt a great heaviness in their heads; at night, as soon as they were warm inbed, their pains redoubled, and robbed them actually of sleep. The secretion of saliva was excessive;the skin peeled off from the whole body, and pimples appeared on their hands. Those who were lessaffected with pains, were much weaker in proportion, and crawled about the decks, emaciated tomere shadows We had not one lieutenant able to do duty; and as one of the mates and several of themidshipmen were likewise ill, the watches were commanded by the gunner and the other mates. Thedogs which had unfortunately fed upon the same fish, were in a still worse condition, as we couldnot give them any relief. They groaned and panted most piteously, drank great quantities of water,and appeared to be tortured with pain. Those which had eaten of the entrails were vastly moreaffected than the rest.--G.F."According to this gentleman, the crew never felt more severely the tediousness of confinement to theship, or were more tired of salt provisions. Two sharks caught on the 31st afforded them a very