', and in the longitude of 177 deg. 17' E., we
tacked and stood to the S.E., with a gentle breeze at E.N.E. It
afterward freshened, and came about to N.E.; in which quarter it
continued two days, and sometimes blew a fresh gale with squalls,
accompanied with showers of rain.

On the 2d of March at noon, being in the latitude of 42 deg. 35' 30",
longitude 180 deg. 8' E., the wind shifted to N.W.; afterward to S.W.; and
between this point and north it continued to blow, sometimes a strong
gale with hard squalls, and at other times very moderate. With this wind
we steered N.E. by E. and E., under all the sail we could carry, till
the 11th at noon, at which time we were in the latitude of 39 deg. 29',
longitude 196 deg. 4' E.

The wind now veered to N.E. and S.E., and I stood to the N., and to the
N.E., as the wind would admit, till one o'clock in the morning on the
16th, when having a more favourable gale from the north, I tacked and
stood to the east; the latitude being 33 deg. 40', and the longitude 198 deg.
50' E. We had light airs and calms by turns, till noon the next day,
when the wind began to freshen at E.S.E., and I again stood to the N.E.
But as the wind often veered to E. and E.N.E., we frequently made no
better than a northerly course; nay sometimes to the westward of north.
But the hopes of the wind coming more southerly, or of meeting with it
from the westward, a little without the Tropic, as I had experienced in
my former visits to this ocean, encouraged me to continue this course.
Indeed it was necessary that I should run all risks, as my proceeding to
the north this year, in prosecution of the principal object of the
voyage, depended entirely on my making a quick passage to Otaheite, or
the Society Islands.

The wind continued invariably fixed at E.S.E., or seldom shifting above
two points on either side. It also blew very faint, so that it was the
27th before we crossed the Tropic, and then we were only in the
longitude of 201 deg. 25' E., which was nine degrees to the westward of our
intended port. In all this run we saw nothing, except now and then a
Tropic bird, that could induce us to think that we had sailed near any
land. In the latitude of 34 deg. 20', longitude 199 deg. we passed the trunk of
a large tree, which was covered with barnacles; a sign that it had been
long at sea.

On the 29th, at ten in the morning, as we were standing to the N.E., the
Discovery made the signal of seeing land. We