Page:A voyage to Abyssinia (Salt).djvu/84

, at the rate of thirty miles in twenty-four hours, Lat. at noon 12° 37′ 30″ S., Long. per chron. 41° 24′ E., Ther. 78, Var. in the morning 22° 2′, in the afternoon 20° 2′ W.

September 18. Being anxious to get a sight of the land, in order to determine its position, we bore towards it in the afternoon, and at sunset made Cape Delgado, distant seven leagues, bearing S.W. when from our reckoning we concluded that the coast from Mosambique is in most charts made to incline too much to the eastward, and this remark is confirmed by a valuable chart of this part of the coast, copied from one lent me by the Governor of Mosambique, which on my return to England I presented to the Admiralty. This chart comprehends a complete survey, from Mosambique Harbour to Cape Delgado, embracing the whole of the Querimbo Islands, on an extended scale of twenty-seven inches to a degree. It was taken at the expense of the Portuguese government, by a colonel of engineers, whose name I have now forgotten, and it carries the appearance of being extremely accurate. A few valuable remarks are annexed to it respecting the rivers, the depth of water, and other subjects interesting to nautical men. I have employed it in my general chart of the coast. Lat. at noon 10° 26′ 30″ S., Long. 41° 45′ E., Therm. 77, Var. in the morning 20° 0′ in the afternoon 19° 2′ W.

September 19. Our course was this day N.b.E. In the afternoon, we saw a great many medusæ and other species of molluscæ floating by the sides of the vessel. Lat. at noon 8° 6′ S., Long. 41° 54′ E., Therm. 78, Var. A.M. 18° 30′, P.M. 19° W.

September 20. We had this day a strong current, running one mile and a quarter per hour in our favour, Lat. at noon 6° 1′ 30″ S., Long. 42° 31′, Therm. 79, Var. P.M. 16° W., the wind S.S.E. to S.E.

September 21. Lat. 3° 43′ S. course N. 28 E., Therm. 79, Wind S.S.E. to south; no current.

September 22. Lat. at noon 1° 19′ S., Long. 44° 54′ E., Therm. 79, Var. A.M. 12° 0′, Wind S.S.W., Current setting N.E. half a mile an hour.

September 23. Lat. at noon 1° 2′ 30″ N., Long. 46° 0′, Therm. 79, Var. A.M., 8° 30′ W. The wind S. to