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 kind of porpoise in the head and jaw, having
them long and pointed. This had eighty-eight teeth in each jaw. The haslet
and lean flesh were to us a feast. The latter was a little liverish, but
had not the least fishy taste. It was eaten roasted, broiled, and fried,
first soaking it in warm water. Indeed, little art was wanting to make any
thing fresh, palatable to those who had been living so long on salt
meat.

We continued to stretch to W.S.W. till the 10th, when at day-break we
discovered land, bearing S.W., which on a nearer approach we found to be an
island of good height, and five leagues in circuit. I named it Norfolk
Isle, in honour of the noble family of Howard. It is situated in the
latitude of 29 deg. 2' 30" S. and longitude 168 deg. 16' E. The latter was
determined by lunar observations made on this, the preceding, and following
days; and the former by a good observation at noon, when we were about
three miles from the isle. Soon after we discovered the isle, we sounded in
twenty-two fathoms on a bank of coral sand; after this we continued to
sound, and found not less than twenty-two; or more than twenty-four fathoms
(except near the shore), and the same bottom mixed with broken shells.
After dinner a party of us embarked in two boats, and landed on the island,
without any diffic