laſt was diſcovered to be behind one of the knees. Upon lightening the veſſel, we found that one of the tree-nails had been forgotten, and the place where it ought to have been inſerted ſmeared over with tar. Having bolted it properly, we were enabled to keep the ſhip dry.
The albatroſſes of the Cape of Good Hope, which began to appear in large flocks, ſhewed us that we were approaching to the ſouthern extremity of Africa. We deſcried the land about eight o'clock in the morning of the 10th of January. Table Bay was then about 20,000 toiſes diſtant from us.
The currents, which had made us fall off ſo much from our courſe whilſt we were in the track of the regular winds, having fortunately taken an oppoſite direction where we met with the variable ones; what we had loſt to the weſt was very nearly made up to us by what we gained to the eaſt, as appeared when we made the land of the Cape of Good Hope. It is evident that the tendency of the ſeas to preſerve the level, ſome few irregularities proceeding from the variable winds excepted, ought to induce mariners, in the parts where theſe winds prevail, to bear down to the eaſt in proportion as the general winds determine the currents to the weſt.
We had another indication of our being near
the
