p,
to endeavour to stop the leak, which had kept the pumps so much
employed during the voyage, and which I mentioned before, I was
in hopes of being able, in fine weather, to get at, and stop at
sea; but, after several attempts, we found it impracticable: we
were now so fortunate as to get at it; it proceeded from an iron
bolt, which had been corroded by the copper, and by the working
of the ship had dropt out, and left a hole of more than an inch
in diameter. A wooden plug was put in, and covered again with
copper. But beside this leak, there were many other smaller
holes, which were occasioned by the decay of long spikenails with
which the skirting-board (which secures the upper edge of the
copper) had been fastened on, and had gone quite through the main
plank of the ship's bottom. All were closed, as far as we
examined, and the ship for the present made less water, but was
not so tight as formerly; it was therefore my intention, upon my
arrival at Port Jackson, to represent to Governor Phillip the
necessity there was to lighten and examine the ship some distance
below the wales; that such defects as we might find might be
remedied while they were trifling.

The time-keeper, which I have already mentioned to have had
upon our arrival here an error of 1 deg. 31', seemed, during the
time we lay in Table-Bay, to have gradually recovered its
original rate, (viz. 4"-77,) it was now losing 4"-78; this served
to convince me of the justice of my conjecture, that it had been
considerably affected by the very cold weather we had near Cape
Horn.

After we left the Cape of Good Hope, we had, for three weeks,
strong gales from the southward, with squally disagreeable
weather, which sometimes reduced our sails as low as courses; we
did not meet with westerly winds quite so soon as I expected, or
as we had done the last time we made this passage. In latitude
38 deg. 30' and in the meridian of the Cape, we had, for two
days, a current to the northward of 44 miles each day; and in
latitude 40 deg., and longitude 22 deg. east, we were, in two
days, set 68 miles to the southward, and by the watch, 60 miles
to the eastward, more than the log gave. In latitude 41 deg. 50'
south, and longitude 28 deg. 09' east, the wind shifted from the
southward to the north-north-east, and blew a very strong gale
for two days; it then settled in the north-west quarter.

At that time, being in latitude 43 deg. 00' south, and
longitude 37 deg. 30'