Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/458

430 they soon resumed their westerly direction, and carried us from 20 to 24 minutes daily.

It must be observed, that Captain Cook, after having passed Endeavour Strait, experienced, like us, a change in the currents, for twenty-four hours, but in a full greater degree than we did.

31st. After losing sight of San del Bose, we met with no other land till our arrival on the south-west coast of New Holland. The light winds which we experienced, made us apprehensive, that we should arrive on that coast, too late to finish our survey of it.

3d. In the afternoon of this day, we were probably at no great distance from some rocks, for we were surrounded with a great number of birds, which never venture far from the land, and we did not lose sight of them, till the approach of night.

4th. We continued to see many birds this day. Navigators in traversing those seas, ought to redouble their vigilance, in order to avoid the rocks, which those birds frequent.

16th. Our stag fell over board during the night, through an opening, left at the extremity of the gangway, much larger than necessity required. Besides this loss, we had to regret that one of our hinds had been delivered over to the butcher's knife, because it was dying with sick- ness.