Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/99

Dec.] time the cold had been o coniderable as to oblige our ailors to take to their woollen clothes.

We had thought ourelves ure of meeting with eaterly gales as we approached the Brazilian coat: they, however, blew from the eat; but having drawn aft, we were enabled to keep our ails pretty full for the pace of a fortnight, till we were in 28° S, lat. and 24° W. long.

We might have expected in this latitude to meet with favourable winds for teering towards the Cape of Good Hope; but all the variation that took place was till more to our diadvantage.

On the 28th of December we had till S.E. winds, though we were already beyond 29½° S. lat. The heat of the un having been for everal months at its greatet height in this hemiphere, had changed the direction of the regular winds.

The length of our paage had reduced our allowance of water to one bottle a day.

As oon as the winds had veered from N.E. to N. the currents, which bore till then to the eat, became carcely perceptible.

Though we were at o great a ditance from the Cape of Good Hope, we oberved a great number of albatroes (diomedea exulans.)

It is a remarkable circumtance, that the variation of the magnetic needle is much greater to the outh of the Line, than it is to the north; for