day noon north-west by west, distance 79 miles;
latitude by account 16 degrees 29 minutes south, and longitude by account
from Tofoa 6 degrees 46 minutes west. Being constantly wet it was with
the utmost difficulty I could open a book to write, and I am sensible
that what I have done can only serve to point out where these lands are
to be found again, and give an idea of their extent.

All the afternoon we had light winds at north-north-east: the weather was
very rainy, attended with thunder and lightning. Only one of the canoes
gained upon us, which by three o'clock in the afternoon was not more than
two miles off, when she gave over chase.

If I may judge from the sail of these vessels they are of a similar
construction with those at the Friendly Islands which, with the nearness
of their situation, gives reason to believe that they are the same kind
of people. Whether these canoes had any hostile intention against us must
remain a doubt: perhaps we might have benefited by an intercourse with
them, but in our defenceless situation to have made the experiment would
have been risking too much.

I imagine these to be the islands called Feejee as their extent,
direction, and distance from the Friendly Islands answers to the
description given of them by those Islanders. Heavy rain came on at four
o'clock, when every person did their utmost to catch some water, and we
increased our stock to 34 gallons, besides quenching our thirst for the
first time since we had been at sea; but an attendant consequence made us
pass the night very miserably for, being extremely wet and having no dry
things to shift or cover us, we experienced cold and shiverings scarce to
be conceived. Most fortunately for us the forenoon turned out fair and we
stripped and dried our clothes. The allowance I issued today was an ounce
and a half of pork, a teaspoonful of rum, half a pint of coconut milk,
and an ounce of bread. The rum though so small in quantity was of the
greatest service. A fishing-line was generally towing from the stern of
the boat but though we saw great numbers of fish we could never catch
one.

At noon I observed in latitude 16 degrees 4 minutes south and found we
had made a course from yesterday noon north 62 degrees west distance 62
miles; longitude by account from Tofoa 7 degrees 42 minutes west.

The land passed yesterday and the day before is a group of islands, 14 or
16 in number, lying between the latitude of 16 degrees 26 m