A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 17: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History; of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and; Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the; Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Volume 17: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History; of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and; Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the; Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
On the 6th, at day-light, we altered our course to the S.S.W.; but, at
eight in the evening, we were taken back, and obliged to steer to the S.E.
On the 7th, at noon, we saw a small land-bird, our latitude, by
observation, at this time, being 33 deg. 52', and longitude 148 deg. 42'. On the
9th, we were in latitude 31 deg. 46', longitude 146 deg. 20', when we again saw a
small land-bird, a tropic bird, porpoises, flying fishes, and had a great
swell from the E.S.E. We continued our course to the S.W., having the winds
from the northward, without any remarkable occurrence, till the 12th, when
we had a most violent gale of wind from the same quarter, which reduced us
to the fore-sail and mizen stay-sail; and, as the weather was so hazy, that
we were not able to see a cable's length before us, and many shoals and
small islands are laid down in our charts, in this part of the ocean, we
brought-to, with our heads to the S.W. At noon, the latitude by account was
27 deg. 36', longitude 144 deg. 25'. In the morning of the 13th, the wind shifting
round to the N.W., brought with it fair weather; but though we were, at
this time nearly in the situation given to the island of St Juan, we saw no
appearance of land. We now bore away to the S.W., and set the top-sails,
the gale still continuing with great violence. At noon, the latitude, by
observation, was 26 deg. 0', longitude 143 deg. 40', and variation 3 deg. 50' E. In the
afternoon, we saw flying fish and dolphins, also tropic birds and
albatrosses. We still continued to pass much pumice-stone; indeed, the
prodigious quantities of this substance which float in the sea, between
Japan and the Bashee islands, seem to indicate, that some great volcanic
convulsion must have happened in this part of the Pacific Ocean; and
consequently give some degree of probability to the opinion of Mr Muller,
which I have already had occasion to mention, respecting the separation of
the continent of Jeso, and the disappearance of Company's Land and Staten
Island.
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