ieces
of seaweed were also seen, but these appeared old and decayed.

At eight o'clock in the evening, being in the latitude of 56 deg. S., longitude
140 deg. 31' W., the wind fixing in the western board, obliged us to steer
north-easterly, and laid me under the necessity of leaving unexplored a
space of the sea to the west, containing near 40 deg. of longitude, and half
that of latitude. Had the wind continued favourable, I intended to have run
15 or 20 degrees of longitude more to the west in the latitude we were then
in, and back again to the east in the latitude of 50 deg.. This route would
have so intersected the space above mentioned, as hardly to have left room
for the bare supposition of any land lying there. Indeed, as it was, we
have little reason to believe that there is; but rather the contrary, from
the great hollow swell we had had, for several days, from the W. and N.W.,
though the wind had blown from a contrary direction great part of the time;
which is a great sign we had not been covered by any land between these two
points.

While we were in the high latitudes, many of our people were attacked with
a slight fever, occasioned by colds. It happily yielded to the simplest
remedies; was generally removed in a few days; and, at this time, we had
not above one or two on the sick list.[10]

We proceeded N.E. by N. till the 6th, at noon. Being then in the latitude
of 52 deg. 0' S., longitude 135 deg. 32' W., and about 200 leagues from our track
to Otaheite, in which space it was not probable, all circumstances
considered, there is any extensive land, and it being still less probable
any lay to the west, from the great mountainous billows we had had, and
still continued to have, from that quarter, I therefore steered N.E., with
a fresh gale at W.S.W.

At eight o'clock in the morning, on the 7th, being in the latitude of 50 deg.
49' S., we observed several distances of the sun and moon, which gave the
longitude as follows, viz.

By Mr. Wales, 133 deg. 24' 0" West.
Gilbert, 133 10 0
Clarke, 133 0 0
Smith, 133 37 25
Myself, 133 37 0
-------------
Mean, 133 21 43

By the Watch, 133 44 0 west.
My reckoning, 133 39 0