degrees 17 minutes east to 168 degrees 34 minutes east from
Greenwich.)

The sight of these islands served only to increase the misery of our
situation. We were very little better than starving with plenty in view;
yet to attempt procuring any relief was attended with so much danger that
prolonging of life, even in the midst of misery, was thought preferable,
while there remained hopes of being able to surmount our hardships. For
my own part I consider the general run of cloudy and wet weather to be a
blessing of Providence. Hot weather would have caused us to have died
with thirst; and probably being so constantly covered with rain or sea
protected us from that dreadful calamity.

As I had nothing to assist my memory I could not then determine whether
these islands were a part of the New Hebrides or not: I believe them to
be a new discovery which I have since found true but, though they were
not seen either by Monsieur Bougainville or Captain Cook, they are so
nearly in the neighbourhood of the New Hebrides that they must be
considered as part of the same group. They are fertile and inhabited, as
I saw smoke in several places.

The wind was at south-east with rainy weather all day. The night was very
dark, not a star could be seen to steer by, and the sea broke continually
over us. I found it necessary to counteract as much as possible the
effect of the southerly winds to prevent being driven too near New
Guinea, for in general we were forced to keep so much before the sea that
if we had not, at intervals of moderate weather, steered a more southerly
course we should inevitably from a continuance of the gales have been
thrown in sight of that coast: in which case there would most probably
have been an end to our voyage.

Saturday 16.

In addition to our miserable allowance of one 25th of a pound of bread
and a quarter of a pint of water I issued for dinner about an ounce of
salt pork to each person. I was often solicited for this pork, but I
considered it more proper to issue it in small quantities than to suffer
it to be all used at once or twice, which would have been done if I had
allowed it.

At noon I observed in 13 degrees 33 minutes south, longitude made from
Tofoa 19 degrees 27 minutes west; course north 82 degrees west, distance
101 miles. The sun breaking out through the clouds gave us hopes of
drying our wet clothes, but the sunshine was of short duration. We had
strong breezes at south-east by south