On the 3d, at noon, being in latitude 56° 46ʹ, longitude 139° 45ʹ, the weather became fair, and the wind veered to south-west. About this time we saw a few small divers (as we call them) of the peterel tribe, which we judged to be such as are usually seen near land, especially in the bays, and on the coast of New Zealand. I cannot tell what to think of these birds. Had there been more of them, I should have been ready enough to believe that we were at this time not very far from land, as I never saw one so far from known land before. Probably these few had been drawn thus far by some shoal of fish, for such were certainly about us, by the vast number of blue peterels, albatrosses, and such other birds as are usually seen in the great ocean; all or most of whom left us before night. Two or three pieces of sea-weed were also seen; but these appeared old and decayed.

At eight o’clock in the evening, being in the latitude of 56° S. longitude 140° 31ʹ west, the wind fixing in the western board, obliged us to steer north-easterly, and laid me under the necessity of leaving unexplored a space of the sea to the west, containing near 40° of longitude and half that in latitude. Had the wind continued favourable, I intended to have run 15 or 20 degrees of longitude more to the west, in the latitude we were then in, and back again to the east in the latitude of 50°. This route would have so intersected the space above-mentioned, as hardly to have left room for the bare supposition of any land lying there. Indeed, as it was, we have little reason to believe that there is; but rather the contrary, from the great hollow swell we had had for several days, from the W. and N. W., though the wind had blown from a contrary direction great part of the time; which is a great sign we had not been covered by any land between these two points.

While we were in the high latitudes, many of our people were attacked with a slight fever, occasioned by colds. It happily yielded to the simplest remedies; was generally removed in a few days; and at this time we had not above one or two on the sick list.

We proceeded N. E. by N. till the 6th, at noon. Being then in the latitude 52° 0ʹ S., longitude 135° 32ʹ W., and about 200 leagues from our track to Otaheite, in which space it was not probable, all circumstances considered, there is any extensive land; and it being still less probable any lay to the west, from the great mountainous billows we had had, and still continued to have from that quarter, I therefore steered N. E. with a fresh gale at W. S. W.

At eight o’clock in the morning on the 7th, being in the latitude of 50° 49ʹ south, we observed several distances of the sun and moon, which gave the longitude as follows, viz.

By Mr. Wales,133°24ʹwest.
Gilbert,13310
Clerke,1330
Smith,1333725ʺ
Myself,13337
Mean,1332143
By the watch,13344west.
My reckoning,13339
Variation of the compass62east.
Thermometer,500

The next morning we observed again; and the results were agreeable to the preceding observations, allowing for the ship’s run. I must here take notice that our longitude can never be erroneous, while we have so good a guide as Mr. Kendal’s watch. This day at noon we steered E. N. E. 1⁄2 E. being then in the latitude of 49° 7ʹ S., longitude 131° 2ʹ W.

On the 9th, in the latitude of 48° 17ʹ S. longitude 127° 10ʹ W., we steered east with a fine fresh gale at west, attended with clear pleasant weather, and a great swell from the same direction as the wind.

In the morning of the 10th, having but little wind, we put a boat in the water, in which some of the officers went and shot several birds. These afforded us a fresh meal. They were of the peterel tribe, and such as are usually seen at any distance from land. Indeed, neither birds nor any other thing was to be seen that could give us the least hopes of finding any; and therefore at noon the next day, being then in the latitude of 47° 51ʹ S., longitude 122° 12ʹ W., and a little more than 200 leagues from my track to Otaheite in 1769, I altered the course, and steered south east with a fresh gale at S. W. by W. In the evening when our latitude was 48° 22ʹ S., longitude 121° 29ʹ W., we found the variation to be 2° 34ʹ E.; which is the least variation we had found without the tropic. In the evening of the next day we found it to be 4° 30ʹ E.; our latitude at that time was 50° 5ʹ S., longitude 1191⁄2° W.

Our course was now more southerly, till the evening of the 13th, when we were in the latitude of 53° 0ʹ S., longitude 118° 3ʹ W. The wind being then at north-west, a strong gale with a thick fog and rain, which made it unsafe to steer large, I hauled up south-west, and continued this course till noon the next day, when our latitude was 56° 4ʹ S., longitude 122° 1ʹ W. The wind having veered to the north, and the fog continuing, I hauled to the east, under courses and close-reefed top-sails. But this sail we could not carry long; for before eight o’clock in the evening, the wind increased to a perfect storm, and obliged us to lie to, under the mizzen stay-sail, till the morning of the 16th, when the wind having a good deal abated and veered to west, we set the courses, reefed top-sails, and stood to the south. Soon after, the weather cleared up; and in the evening we found the latitude to be 56° 48ʹ S., longitude 119° 8ʹ W.