yed
by the condensation, if one may so call it, of a large part of its
constituent principles, those meteors should be followed by
considerable gales or storms. Perhaps, indeed, this opinion best
explains all the circumstances of this phenomenon, and especially the
occurrence so constantly observed of such agitation. The subject,
however, is still involved in a good deal of difficulty, from which a
long and very accurate course of examination is requisite to deliver
it. Much has been effected in this respect, since the publication of
Forster's work; and there is no reason to doubt, that the application
of an improved chemistry to a careful comparison of all the authentic
relations of such phenomena, will issue in a satisfactory
solution.--E.

SECTION XI.

_Sequel of the Passage from New Caledonia to New Zealand, with an Account
of the Discovery of Norfolk Island; and the Incidents that happened while
the Ship lay in Queen Charlotte's Sound._

The wind continuing at S.W., W.S.W., and W., blowing a fresh gale, and now
and then squalls, with showers of rain, we steered to S.S.E, without
meeting with any remarkable occurrence till near noon on the 6th, when it
fell calm. At this time we were in the latitude of 27 deg. 50' S., longitude
171 deg. 43' E. The calm continued till noon the next day, during which time we
observed the variation to be 10 deg. 33' E. I now ordered the carpenters to
work to caulk the decks. As we had neither pitch, tar, nor rosin, left to
pay the seams, this was done with varnish of pine, and afterwards covered
with coral sand, which made a cement far exceeding my expectation. In the
afternoon, we had a boat in the water, and shot two albatrosses, which were
geese to us. We had seen one of this kind of birds the day before, which
was the first we observed since we had been within the tropic. On the 7th,
at one p.m. a breeze sprung up at south; soon after it veered to, and fixed
at S.E. by S., and blew a gentle gale, attended with pleasant weather.

We stretched to W.S.W., and next day at noon were in the latitude of 28 deg.
25', longitude 170 deg. 26' E. In the evening, Mr Cooper haying struck a
porpoise with a harpoon, it was necessary to bring-to, and have two boats
out, before we could kill it, and get it on board. It was six feet long; a
female of that kind, which naturalists call dolphin of the ancients, and
which differs from the other