1803.
April.
scurvy, might have had an influence in producing the disease; and if so, it was avoiding Scylla to fall upon Charybdis, and was truly unfortunate.
Saturday 23.At noon of the 23rd, we had reached the latitude 20° 50′, and were in longitude 105° 13′ east, without having had soundings at 100 fathoms; I then steered a west course, lying to from eight in the evening till daylight;Sunday 24. and at the following noon we observed in 20° 49′ south, and the longitude was 103° 49′ east. This was more than half a degree to the west of Mr. Arrowsmith's position, and we neither had soundings at 140 fathoms, nor any thing in sight to betoken the vicinity of land; I therefore ran N.W. to get somewhat to the north of the latitude 20° 40′, and at dusk hauled up to the wind, as near to east as the ship could lie, to make further search in that direction.
On the 25th, some tropic birds were seen;Tuesday 26. and the next day, when our latitude was 20° 36′ and longitude 104° 55′, there were several birds of the petrel kind about the ship; very vague signs of land, it is true, but still they gave us hopes; and once we were flattered with the appearance of breakers, and bore away for them, but it was a deception. Wednes. 27.We continued to stretch eastward all the next day; but the wind having veered from south to S.E., a good deal of northing was made with it; and having reached the latitude 19° 53′ and longitude 106° 41′, without finding bottom, or any more signs of land, I tacked to the S.S.W. and gave up the search.
It should appear from our examination, that the Trial Rocks do not lie in the space comprehended between the latitudes 20° 15′ and 21° south, and the longitudes 103° 25′ and 106° 30′ east. That they exist, does not seem to admit of a doubt, and probably they will be found near the situation assigned to them by the Dutch sloop; but no bank can extend in a line from thence at all near to Timor. The variations of the compass observed during our search for the Trial Rocks, were 3° west with the head N.W., 5° 11′ at E. by S., and 5° 38′ at E.S.E.; and the mean, corrected to the meridian, will be 3° 43′ west, in 20° 33′ south and 104° 20′ east longitude.
