eagues from the land, its
direction was S.E., and its rate not more than a mile and a half an hour;
on the 6th and 7th, it again shifted round to the N.E., its force gradually
diminishing till the 8th, when we could no longer perceive any at all.

During the 4th and 5th, we continued our course to the S.E., having very
unsettled weather, attended with much lightning and rain. On both days we
passed great quantities of pumice-stone, several pieces of which we took
up, and found to weigh from one ounce to three pounds. We conjectured that
these stones had been thrown into the sea by eruptions of various dates, as
many of them were covered with barnacles, and others quite bare. At the
same time, we saw two wild ducks, and several small land-birds, and had
many porpoises playing round us.

On the 6th, at day-light, we altered our course to the S.S.W.; but, at
eight in the evening, we were taken back, and obliged to steer to the S.E.
On the 7th, at noon, we saw a small land-bird, our latitude, by
observation, at this time, being 33 deg. 52', and longitude 148 deg. 42'. On the
9th, we were in latitude 31 deg. 46', longitude 146 deg. 20', when we again saw a
small land-bird, a tropic bird, porpoises, flying fishes, and had a great
swell from the E.S.E. We continued our course to the S.W., having the winds
from the northward, without any remarkable occurrence, till the 12th, when
we had a most violent gale of wind from the same quarter, which reduced us
to the fore-sail and mizen stay-sail; and, as the weather was so hazy, that
we were not able to see a cable's length before us, and many shoals and
small islands are laid down in our charts, in this part of the ocean, we
brought-to, with our heads to the S.W. At noon, the latitude by account was
27 deg. 36', longitude 144 deg. 25'. In the morning of the 13th, the wind shifting
round to the N.W., brought with it fair weather; but though we were, at
this time nearly in the situation given to the island of St Juan, we saw no
appearance of land. We now bore away to the S.W., and set the top-sails,
the gale still continuing with great violence. At noon, the latitude, by
observation, was 26 deg. 0', longitude 143 deg. 40', and variation 3 deg. 50' E. In the
afternoon, we saw flying fish and dolphins, also tropic birds and
albatrosses. We still continued to pass much pumice-stone; indeed, the
prodigious quantities of this substance which float in the sea, between
Japan and the Bashee is