1801.
September.
Thursday 10.
before; indeed if the Isle had existed between the longitudes of 20° and 25°, it must have been repeatedly seen. I therefore think it may be asserted, that there is no land between 17° and 25° west, either in, or about the latitude of 25′ south. The track of Mons. de la Pérouse cuts that parallel in longitude 16°; and he saw no other marks of the vicinity of land than the men-of-war birds which had followed him for several days. If the presence of these birds be any indication of land, I should suppose that there was some lying between the 11th and 16th degrees of west longitude; and if such an island as St. Paul exist, it will probably be found within those limits.
Having lost all hope of finding this island, I could have wished to recross the equator and run in the latitude of 55′ north; in which parallel the isle Pennedo de St. Pedro, sometimes also called St. Paul, is said to be situate. In Arrowsmith's general chart, it is marked in 24° west longitude, whilst another authority places it to the west of 27°,[1] but I considered that the search might carry me as far as 29°, and perhaps further; and my orders being silent with respect to these islands, I did not think myself authorized to thus occupy so much time; and we therefore hauled to the south-westward on the afternoon of the 10th, as before mentioned. On the following day,Friday 11. a gannet was seen, which seemed to imply that our situation of 1¾° south, and 21½° west, was not far removed from some island or rock; for I do not recollect to have seen this bird at a greater distance from land than thirty leagues.
The trade wind varied from south-south-east to east-south-east, and commonly blew fresh, with frequent squalls. The swell from the southward, with which these winds were for some days accompanied, caused the ship to work so much, that she soon let in as great a quantity of water on this tack, as she before had done on the other; I
- ↑ Voyage of La Pérouse, page 50 of the London translation. I am lately informed, that Pennedo de St. Pedro lies in latitude 0° 55′ north, and longitude 27° 0′ west; that it makes like four sail of ships, and is covered with birds, but affords no water.
