1801.
August.
Saturday 15.
much water having passed down them. By the side of one of these gullies, which was near the place where we lost sight of the boat, there was a path leading up into the interior of the island. The south-west and south points are low; they lie N. 14° W. and S. 14° E. and are five or six miles asunder. Between them, the land hollows back so as to form somewhat of a bay, which, if it afford good anchorage, as it is said to do, would shelter a ship from all winds between north and east-south-east. We did not observe any beach at the head of the bay, perhaps from having passed at too great a distance.
No observations could be taken for fixing the situation of this island; but in 1795, Mr. Crosley and myself made the high land near the south-west point to lie in 17° 00′ north, and by uncorrected lunar observations, in 25° 12′ west; which agrees well with the position of the north-west point, as given by captain Vancouver.[1] The variation from azimuth on the evening of the 14th, before making the land, was 13° 51′ west, and 13° 3′ this evening, when four leagues to the west of it; the compass being placed on the binnacle, and the ship's head south-south-west (magnetic) in both cases. The true variation here, at this time, I judge to have been 12° 24′ west. Captain Vancouver observed 12° 32′, in 1791; but it does not appear how the ship's head was directed.
Some distant land opened from the south point of St. Antonio, at S. 75° E.; which I took to be a part of the island St. Lucia.
During the three days before making St. Antonio, the wind varied from the regular north-east trade, to east-north-east, and as far as south-east-by-east; and about the time of seeing the land, it dwindled to a calm. For three days afterwards it was light, and variable between north and south-east; after which it sometimes blew from the north-west and south-west, and sometimes from the eastward. These variable winds, with every kind of weather, but most frequently with rain, continued until the 23rd,Sunday 23. in latitude 11°
- ↑ Voyage round the World, Vol. 1. page 10.
