rboard side of the ship, the variation was the least; and when on the
starboard side, the greatest. This was not the first time we had made this
observation, without being able to account for it. At four o'clock in the
morning of the 7th, I made the Adventure's signal to keep at the distance
of four miles on my starboard beam; and continued to steer E.S.E. This
being a fine day, I had all our men's bedding and clothes spread on deck to
air; and the ship cleaned and smoked betwixt decks. At noon I steered a
point more to the south, being then in the latitude of 45 deg. 49' S.,
longitude 61 deg. 48' E. At six o'clock in the evening, I called in the
Adventure; and at the same time took several azimuths, which gave the
variation 31 deg. 28'.W. These observations could not be taken with the
greatest accuracy, on account of the rolling of the ship, occasioned by a
very high westerly swell.

The preceding evening, three Port Egmont hens were seen; this morning
another appeared. In the evening, and several times in the night, penguins
were heard; and, at daylight in the morning of the 8th, several of these
were seen; and divers of two sorts, seemingly such as are usually met with
on the coast of England. This occasioned us to sound, but we found no
ground with a line of 210 fathoms. Our latitude now was 49 deg. 53' S., and
longitude 63 deg. 39' E. This was at eight o'clock. By this time the wind had
veered round by the N.E. to E., blew a brisk gale, and was attended with
hazy weather, which soon after turned to a thick fog; and, at the same
tine, the wind shifted to N.E.

I continued to keep the wind on the larboard tack, and to fire a gun every
hour till noon; when I made the signal to tack, and tacked accordingly.
But, as neither this signal, nor any of the former, was answered by the
Adventure, we had but too much reason to think that a separation had taken
place; though we were at a loss to tell how it had been effected. I had
directed Captain Furneaux, in case he was separated from me, to cruise
three days in the place where he last saw me. I therefore continued making
short boards, and firing half-hour guns, till the 9th in the afternoon,
when, the weather having cleared up, we could see several leagues round us,
and found that the Adventure was not within the limits of our horizon. At
this time we were about two or three leagues to the eastward of the
situation we were in when we last saw her; and were standing to the
we