1803.
May.
From the 27th of April we steered eight days to the S.S.W., mostly with south-eastern winds; they were sometimes light, but occasionally fresh, and at these times the ship made five inches of water in the hour. The diarrhœa on board was gaining ground, notwithstanding all the attention paid to keeping the ship dry and well aired, and the people clean and as comfortable as possible. Some of the officers began to feel its attack; and in order to relieve them and the people, now that we had no expectation of meeting danger, I directed the ship's company to be divided into three watches, and put the officers to four; giving Mr. Denis Lacy, master's mate, the charge of acting lieutenant in the fourth watch.
Thursday 5.On May 5, in latitude 26° 24′ and longitude 103° 21′, the south-east wind died away, and a breeze sprung up from the opposite quarter, which veered afterwards to the S.W., blowing fresh with squally, moist weather. Our course was then directed for Cape Leeuwin, with the wind usually a-beam; the sea being too high for the ship to make good way any nearer. In this passage we were accompanied by several petrels, and amongst them by the albatross, the first of which had been seen in the latitude 23°.
Friday 13.On the 13th, we had reached the parallel of Cape Leeuwin, and were steering E. by S., to make it. At six in the evening, tried for soundings with 180 fathoms, without finding ground; but after running S. by E. twenty-six miles, we had 75 fathoms, fine white sand; Saturday 14.
(Atlas,
Plate II.)and at daylight the land was seen, bearing N. 23° to 52° E. about eight leagues. The soundings should therefore seem not to extend more than ten or twelve leagues to the west, or but little further than the land will be visible in fine weather.
