By Mr. Wales, 133° 24ʹ west. Gilbert, 133 10 Clerke, 133 0 Smith, 133 37 25ʺ Myself, 133 37 ------------- Mean, 133 21 43 By the watch, 133 44 west. My reckoning, 133 39 ------------- Variation of the compass 6 2 east. Thermometer, 50 0 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 119-1/2° 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.