-west. At eight in the morning Cape St. John bore north-west ten
leagues distant. Soon after we lost sight of the land.

From the result of my lunar observations, assisted by the timekeeper, I
make the longitude of the west side of Straits le Maire 64 degrees 48
minutes west; the easternmost of the New Year's isles 63 degrees 52
minutes west; and the longitude of Cape St. John 63 degrees 19 minutes
west.

In our run from the latitude of 12 degrees south to 48 degrees south the
ship was set 2 degrees 30 minutes to the eastward by currents; and from
the latitude of 48 degrees south to Staten Land the currents set us to
the westward 2 degrees 43 minutes; which I imagine to have been
occasioned by an indraught into the Straits of Magellan.

From the time we lost sight of the land to the end of the month we were
struggling with bad weather and contrary winds.

Monday 31.

But on the morning of the 31st the wind came to the north-north-east and
made us entertain great hopes that we should be able to accomplish our
passage round the Cape without much difficulty. At noon we were in
latitude 60 degrees 1 minute south and in 71 degrees 45 minutes west
longitude, which is 8 degrees 26 minutes west of the meridian of Cape St.
John. This flattering appearance was not of long continuance: in the
night the wind became variable and next day settled again in the west and
north-west with very bad weather.

April. Wednesday 2.

On the 2nd in the morning the wind, which had blown fresh all night from
the north-west, came round to the south-west and increased to a heavy
gale. At six in the morning the storm exceeded what I had ever met with
before; and the sea, from the frequent shifting of the wind, running in
contrary directions, broke exceeding high. Our ship however lay to very
well under a main and fore-stay sail. The gale continued with severe
squalls of hail and sleet the remainder of this and all the next day.

Friday 4.

On the 4th the wind was less violent but far from moderate. With so much
bad weather I found it necessary to keep a constant fire night and day;
and one of the watch always attended to dry the people's wet clothes: and
this I have no doubt contributed as much to their health as to their
comfort.

Our companions in this in hospitable region were albatrosses and two
beautiful kinds of birds, the small blue petrel and pintada. A great many
of these were frequently about the wake of the ship, which induced