to
reef our top-sails, and the weather was still very thick and rainy. The
next morning, being in latitude 10 deg. S., longitude 167 deg. W., we kept
nearly in the same parallel, in hopes to have fallen in with some of the
islands called Solomon's Islands, this being the latitude in which the
southermost of them is laid down. We had here the trade-wind strong,
with violent squalls and much rain, and continuing our course till
Monday the 3d of August, we were then in latitude 10 deg. 18' S. longitude,
by account, 177 deg. 1/2 E.; our distance west from the continent of America
about twenty-one hundred leagues, and we were five degrees to the
westward of the situation of those islands in the charts. It was not our
good fortune, however, to fall in with any land; probably we might pass
near some, which the thick weather prevented our seeing; for in this run
great numbers of sea birds were often about the ship: However, as
Commodore Byron in his last voyage sailed over the northern limits of
that part of the ocean in which the Islands of Solomon are said to lie,
and as I sailed over the southern limits without seeing them, there is
great reason to conclude, that, if there are any such islands, their
situation in all our charts is erroneously laid down.[58]

[Footnote 58: See what is said on this subject in the account of Byron's
voyage. It will be resumed when we come to speak of some of Cook's
discoveries--E.]

From the latitude 14 deg. S., longitude 163 deg. 46' W., we had a strong gale
from the S.E. which made a great sea after us, and from that time I did
not observe the long billows from the southward till we got into
latitude 10 deg. 18' S., longitude 177 deg. 30' E., and then it returned from
the S.W. and S.S.W., and we found a current setting to the southward,
although a current in the contrary direction had attended us almost all
the way from the Streight of Magellan; I conjectured therefore that here
the passage opened between New Zealand and New Holland. The variation
here was 11 deg. 14' E. On the 5th, being in latitude 10 deg. 1/2 S., longitude
175 deg. 44' E., the variation was 11 deg. 15' E.; and on the 8th, in latitude
11 deg. S., longitude 171 deg. 14' E. it was 14 deg. 1/2 E.

About this time we found our stock of log-lines nearly expended, though
we had already converted all our fishing lines to the same use. I was
some time in great perplexity how to supply this defect, but, upon a
very diligent enqui