MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 1801

On the 7th, our latitude was 0° 43' north, and we expected to cross the equator some time in the following night. It was a part of my plan for preserving the health of the people, to promote active amusements amongst them, so long as it did not interfere with the duties of the ship; and therefore the ancient ceremonies used on this occasion, were allowed to be performed this evening; and the ship being previously put under snug sail, the seamen were furnished with the means, and the permission, to conclude the day with merriment. At noon next day, the latitude was 0° 17' south, and longitude 17° 7' west; so that the line had been crossed in nearly 17°, about seven in the morning [TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER].

From the longitude of 11°, we had been constantly attended by that species of the pelican called man-of-war bird by our seamen, and frègate by the French; but not one of them was to be seen at this time, although we were drawing near to the supposed situation of St. Paul. At four in the afternoon, our latitude was judged to be 0° 29' south; and the course then steered was west, by compass, for a current of ten miles to the north had fully counteracted the western variation on the two preceding days. On the 9th [WEDNESDAY], the latitude was 0° 43' south, and longitude 18° 35'. We ran northward four hours, finding the current had not prevailed as before; and then steered in the parallel of the island. Next day at noon [THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER], our situation was in 0° 22' south and 20° 5' west; and seeing no land, nor any signs of being in its neighbourhood, I gave up the search after the island, and hauled south-westward on our way to the Cape of Good Hope.

In the morning, I had observed the variation with Walker's meridional compass, when the ship's head was W. by N. (magnetic); upon the binnacle it gave 14° 30', and on the booms 13' 0' west. Thus the difference, arising from a change of place in the compass, appeared to diminish sensibly as we approached the magnetic equator. The true variation I judge to have been 13° 11' west.

During the two nights of our search for St. Paul's, the quantity of sail was so reduced that not more than ten or twelve leagues should be passed between dusk and daylight; by which means the view astern, in the morning, nearly reached to the horizon of the preceding evening, and any thing, a little elevated above the surface of the water, could scarcely escape being seen from the mast head, more especially as we were fortunate in having distinct views towards each setting and rising sun. The look-out, also, was particularly attended to; for at this time was commenced the system which, in all similar cases, I intended to pursue throughout the voyage. A part of this plan was an order to the three warrant officers to take charge of the look-out betwixt dark and daylight, and to be answerable for the vigilance with which it should be executed, both in their own persons, and in those who were placed upon the same duty under them. The leisure usually enjoyed by this class of officers, particularly by the gunner and carpenter, I conceived to admit of this abridgment, without injury to their ordinary sea duties.

I had twice before crossed the equator, at the respective distances of twenty-six and seventy-three miles to the west of where our search for the Isle of St. Paul ceased; and Mr. Thistle, the master, had crossed the parallel of 25' south, in longitude 22° 12', a few months before; indeed if the Isle had existed between the longitudes of 20° and 25°, it must have been repeatedly seen. I therefore think it may be asserted, that there is no land between 17° and 25° west, either in, or about the latitude of 25' south. The track of Mons. de la Pérouse cuts that parallel in longitude 16°; and he saw no other marks of the vicinity of land than the man-of-war birds which had followed him for several days. If the presence of these birds be any indication of land, I should suppose that there was some lying between the 11th and 16th degrees of west longitude; and if such an island as St. Paul exist, it will probably be found within those limits.

Having lost all hope of finding this island, I could have wished to recross the equator and run in the latitude of 55' north; in which parallel the isle Pennedo de St. Pedro, sometimes also called St. Paul, is said to be situate. In Arrowsmith's general chart, it is marked in 24° west longitude, whilst another authority places it to the west of 27°,* but I considered that the search might carry me as far as 29°, and perhaps further; and my orders being silent with respect to these islands, I did not think myself authorized to thus occupy so much time; and we therefore hauled to the south-westward on the afternoon of the 10th, as before mentioned. On the following day [FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11], a gannet was seen, which seemed to imply that our situation of 1 ¾° south, and 21½° west, was not far removed from some island or rock; for I do not recollect to have seen this bird at a greater distance from land than thirty leagues.

[* Voyage of La Pérouse, page 50 of the London translation. I am lately informed, that Pennedo de St. Pedro lies in latitude 0° 55' north, and longitude 27° 0' west; that it makes like four sail of ships, and is covered with birds, but affords no water.]

The trade wind varied from south-south-east to east-south-east, and commonly blew fresh, with frequent squalls. The swell from the southward, with which these winds were for some days accompanied, caused the ship to work so much, that she soon let in as great a quantity of water on this tack, as she before had done on the other; I therefore judged it advisable to alter the plan of keeping within seven points of the wind, and to go with it upon the beam; and also to put in practice every means of lightening the upper works, for they seemed to be very inadequate to support the weight with which they had been unavoidably loaded. Two eighteen-pound carronades, stern chacers, were taken off the upper deck and struck into the hold; the spare rudder, and a variety of other things which a want of room had obliged us to stow in the main and mizen channels, were taken within board; and every exterior weight concentrated as much as possible. After this was done, the tremulous motion caused by every blow of the sea, exciting a sensation as if the timbers of the ship were elastic, was considerably diminished; and the quantity of water admitted by the leaks was also somewhat reduced.

SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 1801