tch it, I steered for the island of Fernando de Noronha on the
coast of Brazil, in order to determine its longitude, as I could not
find this had yet been done. Perhaps I should have performed a more
acceptable service to navigation, if I had gone in search of the island
of St Paul, and those shoals which are said to lie near the equator, and
about the meridian of 20 deg. W.; as neither their situation nor existence
are well known. The truth is, I was unwilling to prolong the passage in
searching for what I was not sure to find; nor was I willing to give up
every object, which might tend to the improvement of navigation or
geography, for the sake of getting home a week or a fortnight sooner. It
is but seldom that opportunities of this kind offer; and when they do,
they are too often neglected.

In our passage to Fernando de Noronha, we had steady fresh gales
between the S.E. and E.S.E., attended with fair and clear weather; and
as we had the advantage of the moon, a day or night did not pass without
making lunar observations for determining our longitude. In this run,
the variation of the compass gradually decreased from 11 deg. W., which it
was at Ascension., to 1 deg. W., which we found off Fernando de Noronha.
This was the mean result of two compasses, one of which gave 1 deg. 37', and
the other 23' W.

On the 9th of June at noon we made the island of Fernando de Noronha,
bearing S.W. by W. 1/2 W., distant six or seven leagues, as we
afterwards found by the log. It appeared in detached and peaked hills,
the largest of which looked like a church tower or steeple. As we drew
near the S.E. part of the isle, we perceived several unconnected sunken
rocks lying near a league from the shore, on which the sea broke in a
great surf. After standing very near these rocks, we hoisted our
colours, and then bore up round the north end of the isle, or rather
round a group of little islets; for we could see that the land was
divided by narrow channels. There is a strong fort on the one next the
main island, where there are several others; all of which seemed to have
every advantage that nature can give them, and they are so disposed, as
wholly to command all the anchoring and landing-places about the island.
We continued to steer round the northern point, till the sandy beaches
(before which is the road for shipping) began to appear, and the forts
and the peaked hills were open to the westward of the said point. At
this time, on a