n returned;
and I found it necessary to haul more to the N. to get into the
latitude of Palmerston's and Savage Islands, discovered in 1774, during
my last voyage, that, if necessity required it, we might have recourse
to them.

This day, in order to save our water, I ordered the still to be kept at
work from six o'clock in the morning to four in the afternoon, during
which time we procured from thirteen to sixteen gallons of fresh water.
There has been lately made some improvement, as they are pleased to call
it, of this machine, which, in my opinion, is much for the, worse.

These light breezes continued till the 10th, when we had, for some
hours, the wind blowing fresh from the N. and N.N.W., being then in the
latitude of 18 deg. 38', and longitude 198 deg. 24' E. In the afternoon we had
some thunder squalls from the S. attended with heavy rain; of which
water we collected enough to fill five puncheons. After these squalls
had blown over, the wind came round to the N.E. and N.W., being very
unsettled both in strength and in position till about noon the next day,
when it fixed at N.W. and N.N.W. and blew a fresh breeze, with fair
weather.

Thus were we persecuted with a wind in our teeth whichever way we
directed our course; and we had the additional mortification to find
here those very winds which we had reason to expect 8 deg. or 10 deg. farther S.
They came too late, for I durst not trust their continuance; and the
event proved that I judged right.

At length, at day-break in the morning of the 13th, we saw Palmerston
Island, bearing W. by S. distant about five leagues. However, we did not
get up with it till eight o'clock the next morning. I then sent four
boats, three from the Resolution and one from the Discovery, with an
officer in each, to search the coast for the most convenient
landing-place. For now we were under an absolute necessity of procuring
from this island some food for the cattle, otherwise we must have lost
them.

What is comprehended under the name of Palmerston's Island, is a group
of small islets, of which there are in the whole nine or ten, lying in a
circular direction, and connected together, by a reef of coral rocks.
The boats first examined the south-easternmost of the islets which
compose this group, and, failing there, ran down to the second, where we
had the satisfaction to see them land. I then bore down with the ships
till abreast of the place, and there we kept standing off an