Wednesday, May the 13th. Very squally weather, wind southerly. As I saw no prospect of getting our cloaths dried, I recommended it to every one to strip, and wring them through the salt water, by which means they received a warmth, that, while wet with rain, they could not have, and we were less liable to suffer from colds or rheumatic complaints. [Sidenote: 1789. MAY 13.] In the afternoon we saw a kind of fruit on the water, which Mr. Nelson knew to be the Barringtonia of Forster, and, as I saw the same again in the morning, and some men of war birds, I was led to believe we were not far from land. We continued constantly shipping seas, and baling, and were very wet and cold in the night; but I could not afford the allowance of rum at day-break. The twenty-fifth of a pound of bread, and water I served as usual. At noon I had a sight of the sun, latitude 14 deg. 17' S; course W by N 79 miles; longitude made 14 deg. 28' W. [Sidenote: Thursday 14.] Thursday, May the 14th. Fresh breezes and cloudy weather, wind southerly. Constantly shipping water, and very wet, suffering much cold and shiverings in the night. Served the usual allowance of bread and water, three times a day. At six in the morning, we saw land, from S W by S eight leagues, to N W by W 3/4 W six leagues, which I soon after found to be four islands, all of them high and remarkable. At noon discovered a rocky island N W by N four leagues, and another island W eight leagues, so that the whole were six in number; the four I had first seen bearing from S 1/2 E to S W by S; our distance three leagues from the nearest island. My latitude observed was 13 deg. 29' S, and longitude, by account, from Tofoa, 15 deg. 49' W; course since yesterday noon N 63 deg. W; distance 89 miles. [Sidenote: Friday 15.] Friday, May the 15th. Fresh gales at S E, and gloomy weather with rain, and a very high sea; two people constantly employed baling. [Sidenote: 1789. MAY 15.] At four in the afternoon I passed the westernmost island. At one in the morning I discovered another, bearing W N W, five leagues distance, and at eight o'clock I saw it for the last time, bearing N E seven leagues. A number of gannets, boobies, and men of war birds were seen. These islands lie between the latitude of 13 deg. 16' S and 14 deg. 10' S: their longitude, according to my reckoning, 15 deg. 51' to 17 deg. 6' W from the island Tofoa[*]. The largest island may be twenty leagues in circuit, the others five or six. The easternmost is the smallest island, and most remarkable, having a high sugar-loaf hill. [*] By making a proportional allowance for the error afterwards found in the dead reckoning, I estimate the longitude of these islands to be from 167 deg. 17' E to 168 deg. 34' E from Greenwich.