fresh water by distillation; and succeeded in obtaining 32 gallons of fresh water, at the expense of a bushel and a half of coals. The Captain regarded this as a useful invention, but could not advise any one to trust wholly to it; especially as he considered a plentiful supply of fresh water essentially necessary for preserving the health of seamen.
On the 14th of July, the Resolution anchored in the bay of Fayal, where Mr. Dent, the English consul, entertained the Captain and his friends with great politeness. Some refreshments were procured here for the ship's company, and nautical observations made, as usual. Mr. Wales set up his observatory in Mr. Dent's garden, and by his observations, and those of the Captain on board, the latitude was found to be 38° 31' 55" N., the longitude, 28° 38' 56" W.
On wednesday, the 19th, our navigators sailed from the Azores, and passing St. George's Island, and Terceira, made sail for England, where they anchored at Spithead, on the 30th. On the same day, the Captain, with Messrs. Wales, Forsters, and Hodges, landed at Portsmouth, and set out for London; having been absent from England three years and eighteen days, during which he had lost but four men, and only one from sickness.
After recapitulating the methods which he had so successfully employed, for preserving the health of his people, and glancing at the principal objects accomplished by the voyage, he closes his journal with the following important remarks:
"But whatever may be the public judgment about other matters, it is with real satisfaction, and without claiming any merit but that of attention to my duty, that I can conclude this Account with
