e that these islands may
have been seen before, as in a general chart of these seas which
I have seen, there are three islands laid down nearly in this
situation.

From those islands we steered to the north-west and
west-north-west, with light and variable winds, and sometimes
squally and very unsettled weather, with a disagreeable head-sea,
against which we made very slow progress. On the 8th, at noon, by
a considerable number of very good lunar distances, our longitude
was found to be 144 deg. 13' east, which agreed so very near with
our account carried on from the last observations, that I think
the longitude of the different lands, as marked in this Journal,
will not be found very erroneous. In this part of our passage, we
saw many very large trees floating about the sea.

We now found the ship had set fourteen or fifteen miles a day
to the northward more than the log gave; and in the parallel of
4 deg. 00' north, or nearly, we found, that for the space of
eight days, from the 19th, we had been set to the eastward at the
rate of thirty-nine miles in the twenty-four hours; and there was
much reason to fear, that from the next observations for the
longitude which we might have, we should have the mortification
to find, that this easterly current continued; for at that time,
(the 28th of June,) the wind seemed to be set in from
west-north-west to west-south-west.

On the 30th died William Phillips, seaman.

On the 5th of July, by observations of the sun and moon, we
were in longitude 140 deg. 32' east, which was 10 deg. 10'
eastward of our account, and the wind continued fixed from the
westward. On the 11th of July, necessity obliged us to reduce the
allowance of water; the whole allowance now to each man for all
purposes, cooking, drinking, etc. was two purser's quarts for
twenty-four hours, and the weather was exceedingly sultry, which
made it the more distressing.

On the 13th, I found it necessary, from the very unfavourable
prospect before us, to call together my own officers, and the
master of the ship, and to consult upon the most eligible plan to
be pursued, for enabling us to reach some port or settlement,
where it might be possible to obtain some supply of provisions
and water, sufficient for the relief of one hundred and
twenty-one men, the number now on board this small vessel. The
general opinion was, that it would be highly imprudent in the
present reduced state of our provisions and water, to pe