Page:Captain Cook's Journal during His First Voyage Round the World.djvu/115

Rh Thursday, 9th.—Fresh gales all this day, sometimes squally with rain; under Double-reef Topsails in the night, and Single-reeft Topsail in the day. Wind Southerly; course N. 55° W.; distance 130 m.; lat. 52° 22′ S., long. 86° 17′ W.

Friday, 10th.—The former part of this day had fresh breezes and Dark cloudy weather; in the night hard Squalls with rain, and afterwards hazy, rainy weather. Wind Westerly; course N. 22° W.; distance 67 m.; lat. 51° 16′ S., long. 86° 37′ W.

Saturday, 11th.—Former part Light Airs with drizling rain; remainder, a Moderate breeze and Cloudy. Wind, variable, southerly; course, N. 54° W.; distance 36 miles; lat. 50° 55′ S., long. 87° 24′ W.

Sunday, 12th.—First and Middle parts, fresh gales and cloudy; latter, little wind and clear. Having for some time past generally found the Ship by Observation to the Northward of the Log, which is not owing to a Current as I at first imagined, but to a wrong Division of the Log line, being 2½ feet in each Knot—but this is now rectified. Wind S.W. by S.; course N. 48° W.; distance 113 m.; lat. 49° 41′ S., long, 89° 36′ W.

Monday, 13th.—The first part of these 24 Hours, moderate breezes and Cloudy; remainder, fresh Gales and cloudy. P.M. saw a great many Albetrosses and other Birds about the Ship; some were all white and about the size of Teal. Took several Observations of the sun and moon, the result of which gave 90° 13′ W. Long. from Greenwich. The Variation of the Compass by the Mean of several Azimuths 17° E. The Long. by account is less than that by Observation, 37′, which is about 20 Miles in these high Latitudes, and nearly equal to the Error of the Log line before mentioned. This near Agreement of the 2 Longitudes proves to a Demonstration that we have had no Western Current since we left the Land. Wind W., Northerly; course N. 75° W.; distance 35 m.; lat. 49° 35′, long. 90° 37′.

From the Foregoing observations it will appear that we are now advanced about 12° to the westward of the Strait of Magellan, and 3½° to the Northward of it, having been 33 days in Doubling Cape Horn or the Land of Terra del Fuego, and Arriving into the Degree of Lat. and Long. we are now in, and without being brought once under our close Reef'd Topsails since we left Strait Le Maire, a Circumstance that perhaps never hapned before to any ship in those Seas so much dreaded for Hard gales of Wind; in so much that the doubling of Cape Horn is thought by some to be a mighty thing, and others to this day prefer the Straits of Magellan. As I have never been in those Straits I can only form