The
27th of April we saw a small brigantine under the shore plying to the
southward. We also saw many men-of-war-birds and boobies, and abundance
of albicore-fish. Having still fair weather, small gales, and some calms,
I had the opportunity of trying the current, which I found to set
sometimes northerly and sometimes southerly: and therefore knew I was
still within the verge of the tides. Being now in the latitude of the
Abrolho Shoals, which I expected to meet with, I sounded, and had water
lessening from 40 to 33 and so to 25 fathom: but then it rose again to
33, 35, 37, etc., all coral rocks. Whilst we were on this shoal (which we
crossed towards the further part of it from land, where it lay deep, and
so was not dangerous) we caught a great many fish with hook and line: and
by evening amplitude we had 6 degrees 38 minutes east variation. This was
the 27th of April; we were then in latitude 18 degrees 13 minutes south
and east longitude from Cape Salvador 31 minutes. On the 29th, being then
in latitude 18 degrees 39 minutes south, we had small gales from the
west-north-west to the west-south-west often shifting.
Pages:
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117