After dinner, land was again seen, with which we came up at sunset; it proved a small island, not more than three-quarters of a mile in length, but almost round. We ran within less than a mile of it, but saw no signs of inhabitants, or any cocoanut trees, or indeed any that bore the least resemblance to palms, though there were many sorts of trees, or at least many varieties of verdure.
In the neighbourhood of both this and the other island were many birds, man-of-war birds, and a small black sort of Sterna with a white spot on its head, which the seamen called noddies, but said that they were much smaller than the West Indian noddies.
While we were near the island a large fish was taken with a towing-line baited with a piece of pork rind cut like a swallow's tail; the seamen called it a king-fish (Scomber lanceolatus).
9th. It is now almost night, and time for me to wind up the clue of my this day's lucubrations; so, as we have found no island, I shall employ the time and paper which I had allotted to describe one in a work which I am sure will be more useful, if not more entertaining, to all future navigators, by describing the method which we took to cure cabbage in England. This cabbage we have eaten every day since we left Cape Horn, and have now good store remaining; as good, to our palates at least, and fully as green and pleasing to the eye as if it were bought fresh every morning at Covent Garden Market. Our steward has given me the receipt, which I shall copy exactly—false spelling excepted.
Take a strong iron-bound cask, for no weak or wooden-bound one should ever be trusted in a long voyage. Take out the head, and when the whole is well cleaned, cover the bottom with salt; then take the cabbage, and, stripping off the outside leaves, take the rest leaf by leaf till you come to the heart, which cut into four. Lay these leaves and heart about two or three inches thick upon the salt, and sprinkle salt freely over them; then lay cabbage upon the salt, stratum super stratum, till the cask is full. Then lay on the head of the cask with a weight which, in five or six
