Tuesday, 29th.—Fore and Middle parts fresh Gales and Dark, Hazey weather with some rain. At 5 a.m. saw a Comet in the North. Wind N.W. to S.W.; course S. ¼ E.; distance 96 m.; lat. 37° 0′ S., long. 147° 21′ W.
Wednesday, 30th.—Fresh breeze and fair weather. At 1 a.m. saw the Comet a little above the Horizon in the East. It pass'd the Meridian about ½ past 4; the Tail of the Comet Subtended an Angle of 42°. At 8 a.m. Variation per Azimuth 7° 9′ E. Bent another suit of Sails. Saw a piece of Rock weed, some Pintado birds and Sheer Waters and a Green bird something smaller than a Dove, but it was not near enough to distinguish whether it was a Sea or Land bird; it was only seen by one Person, and he probably was Mistaken in the Colour. A Swell from the S.W., Wind Westerly; course S. ¾ E.; distance 81 m.; lat. 38° 20′ S., long. 147° 6′ W.
Thursday, 31st.—The first part a fresh breeze and cloudy. At 6 p.m. hauld the wind to the S.W. and close reefd the Topsails. At 1 a.m. being very squally with rain, took in the Topsails and brought too under the Mainsail. At 6 made Sail under the Courses. Saw some seaweed, sounded, but had no ground at 65 fathoms of Line. Some Albetrosses, Sheer Waters, and a great many Pintado Birds about the Ship with some hundreds of Birds that were smaller than Pidgeons, their backs were grey, their Bellies white, and the ends of their Tails black, and have a blackish line along the upper parts of the wings from the Tip of one to the other. We saw birds very like those near Faulklands Islands on the Coast of Patagonia, only they had not the black streak along the wings; they fly low like sheer waters or mother Carys birds, and are perhaps of the same Tribe, for Distinction sake I shall call them Doves.[1] Wind Westerly; course S. 4° 15′ E.; distance 68 m.; lat. 39° 28′ S., long. 147° 0′ W.
Friday, September 1st.—Very strong Gales and heavy Squalls with rain; at 6 p.m. brought too under the Main Sail. At 6 a.m. set the Foresail, a Great Sea from the Westward. The same sort of Birds about the Ship as Yesterday, but not in such great Numbers. Wind, Westerly; Course, S. 29° E.; distance 50 m.; lat. 40° 12′ S., long. 146° 29′ W.
Saturday, 2nd.—Very strong Gales, with heavy squalls of Wind, hail, and rain. At 4 p.m., being in the Latitude of 40° 22′ S., and having not the least Visible signs of land, we wore, and brought too under the Foresail, and reef'd the Mainsail, and handed it. I did intend to have stood to the Southward if the winds had been Moderate, so long as they continued Westerly, notwithstanding we had no prospect of meeting with land, Rather than stand back to
- ↑ Probably petrels of the genus Prion.
