wing her out of the bay. When the _Sirius_ arrived nearly
abreast of the fort of Santa Cruz, it was saluted with twenty-one guns; a
marked compliment paid by the viceroy to Captain Phillip, who immediately
returned it with the like number of guns. Shortly after this the
harbour-master left the ship, taking with him Mr. Morton, the master of
the _Sirius_, who from ill health was obliged to return to England in the
_Diana_, a whaler, which was lying here on our arrival. By this gentleman
were sent the public and private letters of the fleet.

The land-breeze carrying us clear of the islands in the offing, the
_Supply_ was sent to speak a ship that was perceived at some little
distance ahead, and which proved to be a ship from Oporto. By her we
learned that the viceroy was superseded in his government, and it was
imagined that his successor was standing into the harbour in a royal
yacht which we then saw under the land. Toward evening it fell calm, and
the islands and high land were still in sight. The calm continued during
the greatest part of the following day; but toward evening a light and
favourable breeze sprung up, which enabled us to cross the tropic of
Capricorn, and bend our course toward the Cape of Good Hope.

On the night of Friday the 7th we had heavy squalls of rain, thunder, and
lightning. From that time until the 1lth the wind was rather
unfavourable; but shifting to the northward on that day, it blew during
the two following in strong gales, with squalls of heavy rain, attended
with much sea.

These strong gales having, on Friday the 14th, terminated in a calm,
Lieutenant Shortland, the day following, reported to the commanding
officer, that there were eleven soldiers sick on board the _Alexander_
and five or six convicts on board the _Charlotte_. The calm continued
until the 16th, when a favourable breeze sprung up; but those ships of
the fleet which could sail were prevented from making the most of the
fair wind, by the _Lady Penrhyn_ transport and others, which were
inattentive, and did not make sail in proper time.

On the 19th the wind was fresh, and frequently blew in squalls, attended
with rain. In one of these squalls the _Charlotte_ suddenly hove-to, a
convict having fallen overboard; the man, however, was drowned. Our
weather was at this time extremely cold; and the wind, which had for some
days been unfavourable, shifting on the 22nd, we again looked towards the
Cape. At one o'clock the nex