, the middle of the island was
distant eight leagues, in the direction of S.S.E. I continued to steer
N.3 deg.W. the next day, and at noon on the 2d of May I changed my course,
and steered W. intending, if possible, to make the land, which is called
Davis's Land in the charts, and is laid down in latitude 27 deg.30'S. and
about 500 leagues west of Copiapo in Chili; but on the 9th, finding
little prospect of getting to the westward, in the latitude which I at
first proposed, being then in latitude 26 deg.46'S. longitude 94 deg.45'W. and
having a great run to make, I determined to steer a north-west course
till I got the true trade-wind, and then to stand to the westward till I
should fall in with Solomon's Islands, if any such there were, or make
some new discovery.

On the 10th we saw several dolphins and bonnettas about the ship, and
the next day some straggling birds, which were brown on the back and the
upper part of their wings, and white on the rest of the body, with a
short beak, and a short pointed tail. The variation was now decreased to
4 deg. 43' E. our latitude was 24 deg. 30' S. our longitude 97 deg. 45' W.

On the 14th we saw several grampuses, and more of the birds which have
just been described, so that, imagining we might be near some land, we
kept a good look-out, but saw nothing. In latitude 23 deg. 2' S. longitude
101 deg. 28' W. the variation, by azimuth, was 3 deg. 20' E.

On the morning of the 16th we saw two very remarkable birds; they flew
very high, were as large as geese, and all over as white as snow, except
their legs, which were black: I now began to imagine that I had passed
some land, or islands, which lay to the southward of us, for the last
night we observed, that, although we had generally a great swell from
that quarter, the water became quite smooth for a few hours, after which
the swell returned.

On the 22d, being in latitude 20 deg. 52' S. longitude 115 deg. 38' W. with a
faint breeze at E.S.E. we had so great a swell from the southward, that
we were in perpetual danger of our masts rolling over the ship's side,
so that I was obliged to haul more to the northward, as well to ease the
ship, as in hopes of getting the true trade-wind, which we had not yet;
and now, to my great concern, some of my best men began to complain of
the scurvy. This day, for the first time, we caught two bonnettas; we
also saw several tropic birds about the ship, and observed that they
were larger than a