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

calm, the fog cleared away, and we got a wind at S.E. with which we stood N.E.Next day, a fresh breeze at S.E. and hazy foggy weather, except a few hours in the morning, when wefound the variation to be 1° 28' E. Latitude 55° 17', longitude 125° 41' W. The variation after this wassupposed to increase; for on the 4th, in the morning, being in latitude 53° 31', longitude 121° 31' W., it was3° 16' E.; in the evening, in latitude 53° 13', longitude 119° 46' W., it was 3° 28' E.; and on the 5th, at sixo'clock in the evening, in latitude 53° 8', longitude 115° 58' W., it was 4° 1' E.For more than twenty-four hours, having had a fine gale at south, this enabled us to steer east, with verylittle deviation to the north; and the wind now altering to S.W. and blowing a steady fresh breeze, wecontinued to steer east, inclining a little to south.On the 6th, had some snow-showers. In the evening, being in latitude 53° 13', longitude 111° 12', thevariation was 4° 58' E.; and the next morning, being in latitude 58° 16', longitude 109° 33', it was 5° 1' E.The wind was now at west, a fine pleasant gale, sometimes with showers of rain. Nothing remarkablehappened, till the 9th, at noon, when being in the latitude of 53° 37', longitude 103° 44' W., the windveered to N.E., and afterwards came insensibly round to the south, by the E. and S.E., attended with cloudyhazy weather, and some showers of rain.On the 10th, a little before noon, latitude 54°, longitude 102° 7' west, passed a small bed of sea-weed. Inthe afternoon the wind veered to S.W., blew a fresh gale, attended with dark cloudy weather. We steeredeast half a point north; and the next day, at six in the evening, being in latitude 53° 35', longitude 95° 52'west, the variation was 9° 58' east. Many and various sorts of albatrosses about the ship.On the 12th, the wind veered to the west, N.W.; and in the evening to north; and, at last, left us to a calm;that continued till midnight, when we got a breeze at south; which, soon after, veering to, and fixing at,west, we steered east; and on the 14th, in the morning, found the variation to be 13° 25' east, latitude 53°25', longitude 87° 53' west; and in the afternoon, being in the same latitude, and the longitude of 86° 2'west, it was 15° 3' east, and increased in such a manner, that on the 15th, in the latitude of 53° 30',longitude 82° 23' west, it was 17° east; and the next evening, in the latitude of 53° 25', longitude 78° 40', itwas 17° 38' east. About this time, we saw a penguin and a piece of weed; and the next morning, a seal andsome diving peterels. For the three last days, the wind had been at west, a steady fresh gale, attended, nowand then, with showers of rain or hail.At six in the morning of the 17th, being nearly in the same latitude as above, and in the longitude of 77° 10'west, the variation was 18° 33' east; and in the afternoon it was 21° 38, being at that time in latitude 53° 16'S., longitude 75° 9' west. In the morning, as well as in the afternoon, I took some observations to determinethe longitude by the watch; and the results, reduced to noon, gave 76° 18' 30" west. At the same time, thelongitude, by my reckoning, was 76° 17' west. But I have reason to think, that we were about half a degreemore to the west than either the one or the other; our latitude, at the same time, was 53° 21' S.We steered E. by N. and E. 1/2 N. all this day, under all the sail we could carry, with a fine fresh gale at N.W. by W. in expectation of seeing the land before night; but not making it till ten o'clock, we took in thestudding-sails, top-gallant sails, and a reef in each top-sail, and steered E.N.E., in order to make sure offalling in with Cape Deseada.