A very strong gale northerly, with hazy rainy weather, on the 28th, obliged us to double-reef the fore and main top-sail to hand the mizen top-sail, and get down the fore top-gallant yard. In the morning, the bolt rope of the main top-sail broke, and occasioned the sail to be split. I have observed that the ropes to all our sails, the square sails especially, are not of a size and strength sufficient to wear out the canvass. At noon, latitude 55° 20' S., longitude 134° 16' W., a great swell from N.W.: Albatrosses and blue peterels seen.
Next day towards noon, the wind abating, we loosed all the reefs out of the top-sails, rigged another top-gallant mast, and got the yards across. P.M. little wind, and hazy weather; at midnight calm, that continued till noon the next day, when a breeze sprung up at east, with which we stretched to the northward. At this time we were in the latitude 55° 32' S., longitude 128° 45' W.; some albatrosses and peterels seen. At eight, p.m., the wind veering to N.E., we tacked and stood to E.S.E.
On the 1st of December, thick hazy weather, with drizzling rain, and a moderate breeze of wind, which, at three o'clock p.m. fell to a calm; at this time in latitude 55° 41' S., longitude 127° 5' W. After four hours calm, the fog cleared away, and we got a wind at S.E. with which we stood N.E.
Next day, a fresh breeze at S.E. and hazy foggy weather, except a few hours in the morning, when we found the variation to be 1° 28' E. Latitude 55° 17', longitude 125° 41' W. The variation after this was supposed to increase; for on the 4th, in the morning, being in latitude 53° 31', longitude 121° 31' W., it was 3° 16' E.; in the evening, in latitude 53° 13', longitude 119° 46' W., it was 3° 28' E.; and on the 5th, at six o'clock in the evening, in latitude 53° 8', longitude 115° 58' W., it was 4° 1' E.
For more than twenty-four hours, having had a fine gale at south, this enabled us to steer east, with very little deviation to the north; and the wind now altering to S.W. and blowing a steady fresh breeze, we continued to steer east, inclining a little to south.
On the 6th, had some snow-showers. In the evening, being in latitude 53° 13', longitude 111° 12', the variation was 4° 58' E.; and the next morning, being in latitude 58° 16', longitude 109° 33', it was 5° 1' E.
The wind was now at west, a fine pleasant gale, sometimes with showers of rain. Nothing remarkable happened, till the 9th, at noon, when being in the latitude of 53° 37', longitude 103° 44' W., the wind veered to N.E., and afterwards came insensibly round to the south, by the E. and S.E., attended with cloudy hazy weather, and some showers of rain.
On the 10th, a little before noon, latitude 54°, longitude 102° 7' west, passed a small bed of sea-weed. In the afternoon the wind veered to S.W., blew a fresh gale, attended with dark cloudy weather. We steered east half a point north; and the next day, at six in the evening, being in latitude 53° 35', longitude 95° 52' west, the variation was 9° 58' east. Many and various sorts of albatrosses about the ship.
On the 12th, the wind veered to the west, N.W.; and in the evening to north; and, at last, left us to a calm; that continued till midnight, when we got a breeze at south; which, soon after, veering to, and fixing at, west, we steered east; and on the 14th, in the morning, found the variation to be 13° 25' east, latitude 53° 25', longitude 87° 53' west; and in the afternoon, being in the same latitude, and the longitude of 86° 2' west, it was 15° 3' east, and increased in such a manner, that on the 15th, in the latitude of 53° 30', longitude 82° 23' west, it was 17° east; and the next evening, in the latitude of 53° 25', longitude 78° 40', it was 17° 38' east. About this time, we saw a penguin and a piece of weed; and the next morning, a seal and some diving peterels. For the three last days, the wind had been at west, a steady fresh gale, attended, now and then, with showers of rain or hail.
At six in the morning of the 17th, being nearly in the same latitude as above, and in the longitude of 77° 10' west, the variation was 18° 33' east; and in the afternoon it was 21° 38, being at that time in latitude 53° 16' S., longitude 75° 9' west. In the morning, as well as in the afternoon, I took some observations to determine the longitude by the watch; and the results, reduced to noon, gave 76° 18' 30" west. At the same time, the longitude, by my reckoning, was 76° 17' west. But I have reason to think, that we were about half a degree more to the west than either the one or the other; our latitude, at the same time, was 53° 21' S.