Departure from Spithead.
Variation of the compass.
The Dezertas.
Arrival at Madeira.
Remarks on Funchal.
Political state of the island.
Latitude and longitude.
Departure from Madeira.
The island St. Antonio.
Foul winds; and remarks upon them.
The ship leaky.
Search made for Isle Sable.
Trinidad.
Saxemberg sought for.
Variation of the compass.
State of the ship's company, on arriving at the Cape of Good Hope.
Refitment at Simon's Bay.
Observatory set Up.
The astronomer quits the expedition.
Rates Of the time keepers.
Some remarks on Simon's Bay.
1801. JULY.
[TOWARDS MADEIRA.]
On July 18 we sailed from Spithead; and in the afternoon of the 20th,
having a light breeze from the eastward, with fine weather, our departure
was taken from the Start, bearing N. 18° W. five or six leagues. On the
following day we fell in with vice-admiral Sir Andrew Mitchell, with a
detachment of four three-decked ships from the grand fleet cruising
before Brest. It was gratifying to learn from the admiral, that although
he had not dropped an anchor for seventeen weeks, there was not a
scorbutic man on board; nor any in the sick list, except from slight
hurts.
The variation of the compass off St. Alban's Head, had been observed by
Mr. Thistle, the master, to be 28° 43' west, from amplitude; off the
Start it was 29° 34' from a western azimuth, and 29° 30' from amplitude;
but on the following afternoon, where the variation should have been
nearly the same, azimuths gave 24° 12' and an amplitude 23° 43' west; the
mean 5° 35' less than off the Start. The same compass was always used,
and the ship's head was at west (magnetic), or within one point of it, in
all the cases; but in the first observations the compass was placed on
the binnacle, and in the last, was upon the booms. In order to ascertain
clearly what effect this change of place did really produce, I took
observations a few days afterward [MONDAY 27] with every compass on
board, and Mr. Thistle did the same upon the booms, ten or twelve feet
before the main mast, where the compasses were as far removed from any
quantity of iron, as they could be placed in any part of the ship. The
head was south-west by the steering compass, our latitude was 38° 1'
north, longitude 14° 18' west, and the results were as under.
Binnacle. Booms.
Variation from an azimuth compass by Walker, ° ' ° '
marked No 1: mean of both sides of the vane. 25 47 22 17 W.
From a ditto marked No. 2, 25 35 19 15
ditto marked No. 3, 24 41 21 27
Walker's meridional compass, 25 46 - -
Ditto used as a common azimuth, 25 51 20 35
Compass made by Adams, 25 44 21 9
--------------
Means, 25 34 20 57 W.
--------------
Thus a change of place from the binnacle to a little before the centre of
the ship, produced an alteration of 4° 37' in the mean variation, the
same way as, but a less quantity than Mr. Thistle had found it off the
Start, when the ship's head was west. The true variation I judge to have
been 23°, and that the observations on the booms showed 2° too little,
and those on the binnacle 2½° too much. The error in excess, upon the
binnacle, appeared to continue so long as the ship was in the northern
hemisphere and the head to the westward; but it diminished gradually as
we approached the equator, and the observations on the binnacle and booms
then nearly coincided. This example is sufficient to show the impropriety
of allowing a variation upon the ship's course, from observations taken
elsewhere than at the binnacle.
THURSDAY 30 JULY 1801.
We continued our course for Madeira, with fair winds. Our latitude on the
30th, was 30° 5' north, longitude 15° 31' west; and in the afternoon
Porto Santo was seen, bearing west-north-west; the wind then became light
and variable, and soon afterwards died away. The variation observed on
the binnacle by the master, when the head was south-west-by-south, was
22° 45', but on the booms 19° 51'; the true variation being as I believe,
20° 51' west.
FRIDAY 31 JULY 1801.
It was calm on the 31st, and I had a boat lowered down and went round the
ship with the carpenter, to inspect the seams near the water line, for we
had the mortification to find the ship beginning to leak so soon as the
channel was cleared, and in the three last days she had admitted three
inches of water per hour. The seams appeared sufficiently bad, especially
under the counter and at the butt ends, for the leak to be attributable
to them; and as less water came in when the ship was upright than when
heeling to a beam wind, I hoped the cause need not be sought lower down.
Before hoisting up the boat, a small hawke's-bill turtle was picked up;
and between this time and that of anchoring in Funchal Road, several
others were seen, and a second, weighing about thirty pounds, was caught.
SATURDAY AUGUST 1 1801.
Aug. 1, at noon, Porto Santo bore N. 11° W., and the rocky islands called
_Dezertas_, from N. 65° to S. 85° W. distant three leagues. The south end
of these islands lies, by our observations, in latitude 32° 24' 20"
north, which differs less than one mile from its position in Mr.
Johnston's chart of the Madeiras. There being little wind next morning
[SUNDAY AUGUST 2], I went off in one of the cutters, accompanied by
Messieurs Brown and Bauer, the naturalist and natural-history painter, to
the southernmost island, called _Bujio_, which was not far distant. On
the way, I shot several birds of the puffin kind, one of which had a
fathom of small brass wire attached to its wing. The distance of the land
proved to be more considerable than was expected; and there being a
current setting southward we did not reach the shore until near three in
the afternoon, when it was necessary to think of returning.
[AT MADEIRA--FUNCHAL ROAD]
A small ledge of rocks, which projected a little from under the cliffs at
the south-west part of Bujio, afforded a landing place; but it was
impossible to ascend the top of the island. We saw no other animated
beings than a few birds something like green linnets, but which were
said, at Madeira, to have been canary birds; and the other productions
were scarcely sufficient to afford amusement even to a naturalist. The
cliffs over head showed marks of irregular stratification, and in some of
the lines there was a red tinge, apparently of iron. The base underneath
was black and honey-combed, as if it had been in the fire, resembling in
this respect the common stone at Funchal.
We left Bujio well satisfied that, so far as we could judge of the
islands, the name Dezertas, or Desert Islands, was well chosen; and soon
after dusk, reached the ship. There was then a good breeze from the
north-eastward, with which we steered for Madeira. tacking occasionally
during the night, to take advantage of the different flaws of wind. At
the following noon [MONDAY 3 AUGUST], the ship was under Brazen Head,
which forms the east side of Funchal Road; and being there becalmed, we
towed in with the boats, and came to an anchor at four o'clock, in 22
fathoms, steadying with a kedge to the north-west. In this situation,
which seems to be as good as any in the road, the bearings by compass
were as follow:
Brazen Head, S. 71° E.
Punta de Cruz, on the west side, N. 85 W.
Loo Fort, distant one-third of a mile, N. 12 W.
The north-east winds usually prevail at Madeira in the summer season, and
sometimes blow very strong. To reach Funchal Read, ships are accustomed
to sail between the east end of Madeira and the Dezertas, before the
wind. They are not very desirous of passing close to Brazen Head, where
they would be becalmed, but keep off a mile or two, in the skirt of the
north-east wind, until they are off the town, or even off Punta de Cruz,
where they generally find a breeze from the south-west, which takes them
to the anchorage. This south-west wind is the sea breeze of Funchal; and
during the time we lay in the road, it usually set in at eight or nine
o'clock in the morning, and prevailed as far as three or four miles in
the offing, till sunset. A variable breeze comes off the land in the
night; at which time it is recommended to ships to pass close to Brazen
Head and tow into the road.
We found his Majesty's ship Argo lying here; and I waited upon captain
James Bowen, immediately that the ship was secured. Lieutenant Flinders
was sent, at the same time, to present my respects to the Portuguese
governor, and to ask his Excellency's permission to purchase the
necessaries of which we stood in need; as also for the scientific
gentlemen to make such an examination of the natural productions of the
island, as our short stay would allow. The first request was granted by
the governor in polite terms, and accompanied with offers of assistance;
but an answer to the second was deferred until he should see me.
This evening the ship was heeled three streaks, when it was found that
she admitted more than three inches of water per hour; whereas, when
upright, it scarcely amounted to one inch. Next morning [TUESDAY 4
AUGUST], therefore, the carpenters began caulking two seams above the
copper, all round, whilst the seamen were employed in shifting the top
masts and examining the rigging.
By the assistance of Joseph Pringle, Esq., the British consul, I procured
boats from the shore to be sent for our empty water casks; and an ox was
killed for our use, and wine prepared for embarkation. His Excellency,
the governor, had appointed noon of this day to receive my visit; and I
waited upon him in form, accompanied by the consul, who interpreted
between us. The governor repeated his offers of assistance; and on being
made to understand the nature of the excursions which our gentlemen
desired to make into the country, he granted his permission with the
utmost readiness. After I had answered some questions relative to the
settlement of political affairs in the north of Europe, we took our
leave; and were attended out by the officers in waiting, and saluted by
the guard.
THURSDAY 6 AUGUST 1801.
On the 6th in the evening, our supply of provisions was received, and the
caulking of the ship completed. The scientific gentlemen returned from an
expedition towards the _Pico Ruivo_; which is the highest of a ridge of
mountains occupying the central parts of the island, and is said to be
5067 feet, or nearly an English mile, above the level of the sea. The
ascent was found to be very difficult; and this, with the heat of the
weather and limitation of their time to this evening, disabled them from
reaching the summit. It was late when they arrived at the shore; and in
embarking abreast of the town, they had the misfortune to be swamped, and
to lose the greater part of their collections and sketches, although the
boat was managed by Portuguese watermen, accustomed to the place.
The best landing is behind the Loo Rock; but the stony beach in front of
the town is usually safe in the summer time. It was so on our first
arrival, until the strong eastern winds in the offing raised so much
swell as to make it dangerous, even for people experienced in the
management of a boat in the surf.
The town of Funchal is placed at the foot of a mountain, which projects
from the great central ridge; and the houses being mostly white, they
form a strong, but agreeable contrast with the back land. At different
elevations up the side of the mountain, are scattered the country houses
of the richer inhabitants, placed amongst groups of trees and surrounded
with vines. These, with a convent dedicated to _Our Lady of the
Mountain_, which, like the houses, is white, but partly hidden by
foliage, give to the whole a picturesque and pleasing appearance from the
ships in the road. The town is larger, and there was more trade and
activity in it than I was prepared to expect in a small colony, where the
students of the college and ecclesiastics of different orders form no
inconsiderable part of the superior class of inhabitants. Several British
merchants reside at Madeira; their houses of business are at Funchal, but
their favourite residences are upon the side of the mountain. I
accompanied captain Bowen to one of these, the hospitable seat of Mr.
Murdoch, and thought it one of the prettiest places I had seen. The house
of Mr. Pringle, the consul, was my home when on shore; indeed the
politeness of our countrymen prevented me from experiencing the
accommodation afforded to strangers at a house in the town, dignified
with the name of hotel. Some of our gentlemen complained of its being
miserable enough, even without the swarms of fleas and other vermin by
which they were molested.
His Majesty's ships Argo, Carysfort, Falcon, and transports, under the
command of captain James Bowen, had arrived in Funchal Road about nine
days before us; having on board the 85th regiment under colonel Clinton.
After making their dispositions, the two commanders sent to inform the
Portuguese governor, that His Britannic Majesty, considering the
probability of an attack from the French upon the island, had sent troops
to assist in its defence; and they demanded permission for the forces to
land. A council was called by the governor; and it being agreed that even
were they inclined yet no effectual resistance could be made, the
permission was given, and a place assigned for the encampment of the
troops to the west of the town. A part of the 85th was afterwards
quartered in the Loo Fort and in that of St. Diego, which command both
the town and the road; and the men were employed in putting these
fortifications into a state of defence.
These arrangements caused no change in the administration of the
government, nor in the trade of the island; but the governor was said to
be not satisfied that his conduct would be approved. On the day of our
arrival, he received intelligence of peace being concluded between
Portugal and Spain, but that the war with France was continued; and
before we sailed, His Majesty's sloop Voltigeur brought despatches from
the Court of Lisbon, which directed the governor to receive the British
troops; and it was supposed that every thing connected with the defence
of the island would be committed to them. This was the state of things
when I took leave of captain Bowen and of colonel Clinton.
Water, wine, and fresh beef, were the supplies procured at Madeira. Wine
for the ship's company was charged at the enormous price of 5s. 8d. per
gallon, and the beef at 10d. per pound; I therefore took only small
quantities of each. For good Madeira, we paid as much as £42. the pipe.
Fruit and onions were in abundance, and probably were not of less
advantage to the health of the people than the more expensive articles.
The latitude observed in Funchal Road was 32° 37' 44" north. The
longitude, as given in the Requisite Tables, is 17° 6' 15" west; but in
the _Connoissance des Temps_ for 1792, it is laid down by a member of the
Academy of Sciences, probably the _Chevalier de Borda_, at 16° 56' from
Greenwich. Arnold's watch No. 1736, in my care, gave 16° 22' 42", and the
greatest longitude shown by any of the six time keepers was 16° 54' 26".
This was given by Earnshaw's watch No. 465, which had kept an uniform
rate during fifteen months previously to its being brought on board. We
made use of this watch to reduce some lunar observations taken a few days
before arriving, and others after sailing, to the place of anchorage; and
the result was as follows:
Ten sets of distances, east and west of the moon,
taken by Mr. Crosley in Funchal Bay and afterwards,
with a Troughton's sextant, 16° 59' 21" W.
Eight sets,* east and west, taken by me with a
Troughton's circle and two sextants, before and afterwards, 16 51 28
--------------
West longitude of Funchal by lunar observations, 16 55 24
--------------
[* Four of these are uncorrected for the errors of the lunar and solar
tables. They were taken Aug. 29, on which day no observation of the moon
was made at Greenwich; and the errors observed on the 27th and 30th were
so irregular, that no proportion can be made between them with any
prospect of accuracy. Were the errors of the 30th applied, the longitude
of Funchal would be 4' less.]
We were therefore induced to prefer the 16° 56', in the Connoissance des
Temps, as being nearer the true longitude of Funchal from Greenwich, than
the 17° 6' 15" of the Requisite Tables.
Every person had returned on board on Friday morning; and a young man, a
native of Ireland, who had been sent here sick in a French cartel,
applying to go the voyage, I ordered him to be entered, on the surgeon
reporting him to be a fit man for His Majesty's service.
FROM MADEIRA--TOWARDS THE CAPE
On quitting Funchal Road, we were taken aback, at two o'clock, by the
east-north-east wind, about two miles off Brazen Head. It blew so strong
as to make it necessary to clew down all the sails; and until next
morning [SATURDAY AUGUST 8], nothing above close-reefed top sails could
be carried with safety. At noon, the log gave 162 miles from Funchal; but
the cloudy weather did not admit of taking observations.
SUNDAY 9 AUGUST 1801
At daybreak of the 9th the island Palma was in sight, bearing S. 72° E.
ten or twelve leagues. Albacores and bonitas now began to make their
appearance, and the officers and men were furnished with hooks and lines,
and our harpoons and fizgigs were prepared. This day I ordered lime juice
and sugar to be mixed with the grog; and they continued to be given daily
to every person on board, until within a short time of our arrival at the
Cape of Good Hope.
SATURDAY 15 AUGUST 1801
We carried fair, and generally fresh winds, until the 15th in the
morning, when St. Antonio, the north-westernmost of the Cape-Verde
Islands was in sight. At eight o'clock, the extremes bore N. 69° E. and
S. 13° W., and the nearest part was distant four miles; in which
situation no bottom could be found at 75 fathoms. A boat was observed
near the shore, and our colours were hoisted; but no notice appeared to
be taken of the ship.
The north-west side of St. Antonio is four or five leagues in length; and
rises abruptly from the sea, to hills which are high enough to be seen
fifteen, or more leagues from a ship's deck. These barren hills are
intersected by gullies, which bore marks of much water having passed down
them. By the side of one of these gullies, which was near the place where
we lost sight of the boat, there was a path leading up into the interior
of the island. The south-west and south points are low; they lie N. 14°
W. and S. 14° E. and are five or six miles asunder. Between them, the
land hollows back so as to form somewhat of a bay, which, if it afford
good anchorage, as it is said to do, would shelter a ship from all winds
between north and east-south-east. We did not observe any beach at the
head of the bay, perhaps from having passed at too great a distance.
No observations could be taken for fixing the situation of this island;
but in 1795, Mr. Crosley and myself made the high land near the
south-west point to lie in 17° 00' north, and by uncorrected lunar
observations, in 25° 12' west; which agrees well with the position of the
north-west point, as given by captain Vancouver.* The variation from
azimuth on the evening of the 14th, before making the land, was 13° 51'
west, and 13° 3' this evening, when four leagues to the west of it; the
compass being placed on the binnacle, and the ship's head
south-south-west (magnetic) in both cases. The true variation here, at
this time, I judge to have been 12° 24' west. Captain Vancouver observed
12° 32', in 1791; but it does not appear how the ship's head was
directed.
[* _Voyage round the World_, Vol. I. page 10.]
Some distant land opened from the south point of St. Antonio, at S. 75°
E.; which I took to be a part of the island St. Lucia.
During the three days before making St. Antonio, the wind varied from the
regular north-east trade, to east-north-east, and as far as
south-east-by-east; and about the time of seeing the land, it dwindled to
a calm. For three days afterwards it was light, and variable between
north and south-east; after which it sometimes blew from the north-west
and south-west, and sometimes from the eastward. These variable winds,
with every kind of weather, but most frequently with rain, continued
until the 23rd [SUNDAY], in latitude 11° north and longitude 23° west;
when a steady breeze set in from the south-westward, and the weather
became more settled and pleasant. The clouds were sufficiently dense to
keep off the intense heat of the vertical sun, but did not often prevent
us from obtaining daily observations for the latitude and longitude. At
the same time with the south-west wind came a swell from the southward,
which made the ship plunge considerably; and so far opened her leaks,
that she again made two inches of water in the hour.
THURSDAY 27 AUGUST 1801
On the 27th, in latitude 6° north and longitude 17½° west, a noddy was
caught, and next day a swallow was found dead in my sleeping cabin. This
poor little bird had been our companion for three or four days before,
and had become a favourite. It was generally seen darting past the lee
scuttles and ports, apparently after the flies which were carried out by
the streams of air; sometimes it alighted upon the boats which hung on
the ship's quarters, and more than once rested itself in the cabin where,
at length, it was found dead.
WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER 1801
The south-western winds continued to blow without intermission, and drove
us, much against my inclination, far to the eastward, towards the coast
of Africa. One or two attempts were made to go upon the western tack; but
this could not be done with any advantage until the 2nd of September,
when we were in latitude 3° 50' north, and longitude 11¼° west. The wind
had veered gradually round, from south-west to south, as we approached
the African coast, to the direction of which it kept at nearly a right
angle. I had not fully adverted to the probability, that the winds
blowing upon this coast would prevail to a greater extent at this season
than at any other time of the year; otherwise, as I wished to avoid
Africa, I should have passed some degrees to the westward of the
Cape-Verde Islands, and probably have carried the north-east trade to the
12th, or perhaps to the 10th degree of north latitude; and in 8°, or at
furthest in 6°, the south-east trade might have been expected.
Captain Cook, in his second voyage, experienced the same south-western
winds, and was carried so far eastward, that he crossed the equator in
longitude 8° west. Monsieur de la Pérouse also experienced them, and both
were here at the same season with ourselves; that is, in the months of
August and September, when the African continent had received its
greatest degree of heat.
Although I preferred to avoid Africa, it is by no means certain that a
good passage to the Cape of Good Hope may not be made, especially at this
season, by steering round the Bight of Benin with the south-west and
south winds. It is probable, that on approaching the meridian of
Greenwich the wind would be found to return to the south-west, and
perhaps more westward, and enable a ship to reach the 10th degree of
south latitude before meeting the south-east trade; in which case, the
circuit to be made before attaining the western winds beyond the southern
tropic, would be much shortened. The East-India-Company's ships bound to
St. Helena, do, I believe, now generally follow that route.
The leakiness of the ship increased with the continuance of the
south-west winds; and at the end of a week, amounted to five inches of
water an hour. It seemed, however, that the leaks were mostly above the
water's edge, for on tacking to the westward they were diminished to two
inches. This working of the oakum out of the seams indicated a degree of
weakness which, in a ship destined to encounter every hazard, could not
be contemplated without uneasiness. The very large ports, formerly cut in
the sides to receive thirty-two-pound carronades, joined to what I had
been able to collect from the dock yard officers, had given me an
unfavourable opinion of her strength; and this was now but too much
confirmed. Should it be asked, why representations were not made, and a
stronger vessel procured? I answer, that the exigencies of the navy were
such at that time, that I was given to understand no better ship could be
spared from the service; and my anxiety to complete the investigation of
the coasts of Terra Australis did not admit of refusing the one offered.
THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 1801
The wind was at south when we tacked to the westward; but it shortly
veered to south-by-east, and as far as south-east-by-south, which enabled
me to look up for the small _Isle Sable_, or St. Paul, said to lie in 0°
25' south, and about 18½° west. I was desirous of ascertaining the true
position of this, and of some other small islands, laid down in the
neighbourhood of the equator. They are placed so much in the tracks, both
of outward and homeward bound ships, that it was not improbable some one
of the vessels missed at different times, might have suffered shipwreck
upon them; and the hope that we might be the happy means of restoring to
their country and friends some unfortunate fellow creatures, perhaps
countrymen, was an additional incitement to look after them.
MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 1801
On the 7th, our latitude was 0° 43' north, and we expected to cross the
equator some time in the following night. It was a part of my plan for
preserving the health of the people, to promote active amusements amongst
them, so long as it did not interfere with the duties of the ship; and
therefore the ancient ceremonies used on this occasion, were allowed to
be performed this evening; and the ship being previously put under snug
sail, the seamen were furnished with the means, and the permission, to
conclude the day with merriment. At noon next day, the latitude was 0°
17' south, and longitude 17° 7' west; so that the _line_ had been crossed
in nearly 17°, about seven in the morning [TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER].
From the longitude of 11°, we had been constantly attended by that
species of the pelican called man-of-war bird by our seamen, and
_frègate_ by the French; but not one of them was to be seen at this time,
although we were drawing near to the supposed situation of St. Paul. At
four in the afternoon, our latitude was judged to be 0° 29' south; and
the course then steered was west, by compass, for a current of ten miles
to the north had fully counteracted the western variation on the two
preceding days. On the 9th [WEDNESDAY], the latitude was 0° 43' south,
and longitude 18° 35'. We ran northward four hours, finding the current
had not prevailed as before; and then steered in the parallel of the
island. Next day at noon [THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER], our situation was in 0°
22' south and 20° 5' west; and seeing no land, nor any signs of being in
its neighbourhood, I gave up the search after the island, and hauled
south-westward on our way to the Cape of Good Hope.
In the morning, I had observed the variation with Walker's meridional
compass, when the ship's head was W. by N. (magnetic); upon the binnacle
it gave 14° 30', and on the booms 13' 0' west. Thus the difference,
arising from a change of place in the compass, appeared to diminish
sensibly as we approached the magnetic equator. The true variation I
judge to have been 13° 11' west.
During the two nights of our search for St. Paul's, the quantity of sail
was so reduced that not more than ten or twelve leagues should be passed
between dusk and daylight; by which means the view astern, in the
morning, nearly reached to the horizon of the preceding evening, and any
thing, a little elevated above the surface of the water, could scarcely
escape being seen from the mast head, more especially as we were
fortunate in having distinct views towards each setting and rising sun.
The look-out, also, was particularly attended to; for at this time was
commenced the system which, in all similar cases, I intended to pursue
throughout the voyage. A part of this plan was an order to the three
warrant officers to take charge of the look-out betwixt dark and
daylight, and to be answerable for the vigilance with which it should be
executed, both in their own persons, and in those who were placed upon
the same duty under them. The leisure usually enjoyed by this class of
officers, particularly by the gunner and carpenter, I conceived to admit
of this abridgment, without injury to their ordinary sea duties.
I had twice before crossed the equator, at the respective distances of
twenty-six and seventy-three miles to the west of where our search for
the Isle of St. Paul ceased; and Mr. Thistle, the master, had crossed the
parallel of 25' south, in longitude 22° 12', a few months before; indeed
if the Isle had existed between the longitudes of 20° and 25°, it must
have been repeatedly seen. I therefore think it may be asserted, that
there is no land between 17° and 25° west, either in, or about the
latitude of 25' south. The track of Mons. de la Pérouse cuts that
parallel in longitude 16°; and he saw no other marks of the vicinity of
land than the man-of-war birds which had followed him for several days.
If the presence of these birds be any indication of land, I should
suppose that there was some lying between the 11th and 16th degrees of
west longitude; and if such an island as St. Paul exist, it will probably
be found within those limits.
Having lost all hope of finding this island, I could have wished to
recross the equator and run in the latitude of 55' north; in which
parallel the isle _Pennedo de St. Pedro_, sometimes also called St. Paul,
is said to be situate. In Arrowsmith's general chart, it is marked in 24°
west longitude, whilst another authority places it to the west of 27°,*
but I considered that the search might carry me as far as 29°, and
perhaps further; and my orders being silent with respect to these
islands, I did not think myself authorized to thus occupy so much time;
and we therefore hauled to the south-westward on the afternoon of the
10th, as before mentioned. On the following day [FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 11], a
gannet was seen, which seemed to imply that our situation of 1 ¾° south,
and 21½° west, was not far removed from some island or rock; for I do not
recollect to have seen this bird at a greater distance from land than
thirty leagues.
[* _Voyage of La Pérouse_, page 50 of the London translation. I am lately
informed, that Pennedo de St. Pedro lies in latitude 0° 55' north, and
longitude 27° 0' west; that it makes like four sail of ships, and is
covered with birds, but affords no water.]
The trade wind varied from south-south-east to east-south-east, and
commonly blew fresh, with frequent squalls. The swell from the southward,
with which these winds were for some days accompanied, caused the ship to
work so much, that she soon let in as great a quantity of water on this
tack, as she before had done on the other; I therefore judged it
advisable to alter the plan of keeping within seven points of the wind,
and to go with it upon the beam; and also to put in practice every means
of lightening the upper works, for they seemed to be very inadequate to
support the weight with which they had been unavoidably loaded. Two
eighteen-pound carronades, stern chacers, were taken off the upper deck
and struck into the hold; the spare rudder, and a variety of other things
which a want of room had obliged us to stow in the main and mizen
channels, were taken within board; and every exterior weight concentrated
as much as possible. After this was done, the tremulous motion caused by
every blow of the sea, exciting a sensation as if the timbers of the ship
were elastic, was considerably diminished; and the quantity of water
admitted by the leaks was also somewhat reduced.
SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER 1801
On the 13th, in latitude 4° 44' south and longitude 23° 17' west, a
swallow, a gannet, and two sheerwaters were seen; and from six to eight
in the evening, the officer of the watch and myself thought the water to
be much smoother than before, or than it was afterward. Had it been in an
unknown sea, I should have been persuaded that some island, or shoal, lay
at no great distance to the south-eastward of our situation at that time.
SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 1801
The trade wind continued, with some little variety in its direction, to
blow fresh until the 20th, when it became light, and sometimes calm. We
were then approaching the small island Trinidad. Many gannets were seen
at twenty-four leagues off, but none at a greater distance. On the 23rd
[WEDNESDAY], the island was in sight; and at noon, when our latitude was
20° 1' south, and longitude 29° 13' west, a peaked hummock near the
eastern extremity bore S. 25° W., nine or ten leagues. The western
extremity bore S. 29° W., and at first appeared to be a bluff head; but
it afterwards assumed the form of a conical rock, and was, in all
probability, the _Nine Pin_ of captain D'Auvergne's chart. One of the
rocks called Martin Vas, was visible from the main top, and angled 49°
43' to the left of the peaked hummock; its bearing was consequently very
near S. 25° E.
Mons. de la Pérouse, who sent a boat on shore to Trinidad, lays down the
latitude of the south-east point at 20° 31' south, and longitude from
lunar observations, 28° 37' west of Greenwich. The latitude appeared to
agree with our observations; but in the longitude there is some
difference. According to Earnshaw's two time keepers, No. 465 and 543,
which kept better rates than the remaining four, the longitude of the
Nine Pin is 29° 25½' west; which being reduced to the south-east point,
will place it in 29° 23', or 46' west of the French navigator.* The
longitude in captain D'Auvergne's plan of Trinidad, constructed 1782, is
29° 55', or 32' still further west. From two sets of distances of the
star _Altair_ to the west, and two of _Aldebaran_ east of the moon, I
made the longitude of the south-east point to be 29° 19' west; the
difference from the time keepers, which I consider to have given the best
longitude, being no more than 4'.
[* The error of No. 465 was found, at the Cape of Good Hope, to be 10'
57", 2 to the east, and of No. 543, to be 39' 21", 5 east, contracted in
96 days upon their English rates. To obtain the above longitude, a
proportional part of these errors according to the number of days, has
been applied to the keepers; and the difference between them is then no
more than 2".]
THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER 1801
Azimuths taken upon the binnacle in the morning, with three compasses,
and the ship's head at S. W. by S., gave variation 3° 54'; and in the
evening, at S. W., 3° 50'; but next morning, when Trinidad was just
disappearing from the deck in the N. 60° E., other azimuths then showed
the variation to be 1° 35' west, the ship's head being S. S. W.; it
therefore appears, that there is a difference off the north, and off the
south-west sides of the island. From the first observations I deduce the
true variation to be 4° 14' west, and from the last 1° 50' west. Captain
D'Auvergne marks the variation 0° 45' west, in 1782; but under what
circumstances it was ascertained, does not appear.
TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 1801
The trade wind having again arisen from east-south-east, we were enabled
to make between eighty and ninety miles a day. It afterwards veered
gradually round, by the north-east and north, to the westward, and blew
fresh; so that on the 29th, our latitude was 31° 2' and longitude 26° 0'
west. This was 17' to the south, and about 6° west of the situation
usually assigned to _Saxemberg_; an island which has been frequently
sought by the East-India, and other ships, in the place which it still
occupies in the charts; and not finding it there, they have run a few
degrees to the _eastward_, in the same parallel, but always without
success. The opportunity which presented itself of now adding 6° of
longitude to the examined space, and on the opposite side, I should have
thought myself culpable in neglecting; and therefore, having placed the
ship in the supposed parallel of the island, we steered due east for it;
adopting the same regulations for the look-out at night, as when
searching for St. Paul's.
We had seen an unusual number of pintado and sooty petrels on the
preceding afternoon, as also of a brown bird, apparently one of the
sea-swallow tribe, having a white belly and the form and size of a
woodcock; and this evening it was reported to me from the mast head, and
confirmed by others on deck, that a turtle was seen lying upon the water.
These indications of land gave me some hope that the long lost Saxemberg
might be brought to light. On the following noon [WEDNESDAY 30
SEPTEMBER], the observed latitude was 30° 41' and longitude 22° 46'; and
nothing further had transpired to betoken the vicinity of land. Next day
[THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER], our observations gave 30° 34' south, and 20° 28'
west; and I then steered east-south-east, a course which should have
taken us almost directly over the supposed situation of Saxemberg, if the
same current of 11' north had prevailed, as on the preceding day. But
this not proving to be the case, our track lay a few miles to the south;
though sufficiently near for us to be satisfied of the non-existence of
the island in the place assigned to it, if that could any longer admit of
a doubt.*
[* At the Cape of Good Hope, in 1810, His Excellency the Earl of Caledon
favoured me with the following extract from the log book of the sloop
Columbus--Long, master; returning to the Cape from the coast of Brazil.
"September 22, 1809, at five p.m., saw the island of Saxonburg, bearing
E. S. E., first about 41 leagues distant: clear weather. Steered for the
said island, and found it to be in the latitude of 30° 18' south,
longitude 28° 20' west, or thereabout.
"The island of Saxonburg is about four leagues in length, N. W. and S. E,
and about 2½ miles in breadth. The N. W. end is a high bluff of about 70
feet, perpendicular form, and runs along to the south-east about 8 miles.
You will see trees at about a mile and a half distance, and a sandy
beach."
The situation of Saxemberg in the common tables and charts, was 30° 45'
south and 19° 40' west, almost 9° of longitude too little; and therefore
it is not surprising that ships have missed it. At the time so many birds
were seen, on the 28th, the Investigator was not more than eighty miles
from the position of the island, as above given from Mr. Long.]
SUNDAY 4 OCTOBER 1801
The fresh western winds continued, with short intervals of calm, as far
as the latitude 33° 23', and longitude 13° 0' west; when they died away,
and a breeze sprung up from the eastward. With this wind we could do
little more than look up for the isles of Tristan d'Acunha, whose bearing
was then S. 16° E., and distance seventy-seven leagues. From the
description given by sir Erasmus Gower* of the anchorage, and the
convenience with which water may be obtained, and his account of the
animals which resort there, I should not have considered it to be lost
time, had the wind made it advisable to put in at Tristan d'Acunha, for a
few days; but it veered round to the north-west, on the [TUESDAY] 6th.
and we resumed our former course to the Cape of Good Hope.
[* _Lord Macartney's Embassy to China_, by sir G. Staunton, Vol. I. p.
198-201.]
WEDNESDAY 14 OCTOBER 1801
In the morning of the 14th, the variation by mean of amplitude and
azimuth, was 25° 10' west; the ship's head being E. by S., and our
latitude 35° 4' south, and longitude 12° 50' east. It is worthy of being
mentioned, that in the year 1797, and near the same place, I observed the
variation to be 19° 40' west, on board His Majesty's ship Reliance; and
as the compass was upon the binnacle in both cases, the sole cause to
which I can attribute this great difference is, that the ship's head was
west, instead of E. by S. The true variation could not be far from the
mean of the two observations, since it was 26° at the Cape of Good Hope.
In the English Channel, the compass on the binnacle had shown nearly 4°
too much west variation, when the ship's head was at _west_; but here, it
gives at least 2° too much, with the head in an opposite direction! This
difference in the two hemispheres merits particular notice; it is part of
a series of apparent anomalies in the compass which have hitherto
remained unaccounted for; but which seem reducible to one general cause,
as I have attempted to show in the Appendix No. II. to the second volume.
FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER 1801
At daybreak of the 16th, we expected to see the high land of the Cape;
but the weather being hazy, it could not be distinguished until eight
o'clock, when it bore north-east, eight leagues; being _three leagues
more_ than Earnshaw's pocket time keeper, in which we had most
confidence, led us to expect, and _four miles less_ than was given by my
uncorrected lunar observations of the 14th p.m., brought forward by the
time keeper.
At this time we had not a single person in the sick list, both officers
and men being fully in as good health, as when we sailed from Spithead. I
had begun very early to put in execution the beneficial plan, first
practised and made known by the great captain Cook. It was in the
standing orders of the ship, that on every fine day the deck below and
the cockpits should be cleared, washed, aired with stoves, and sprinkled
with vinegar. On wet and dull days they were cleaned and aired, without
washing. Care was taken to prevent the people from sleeping upon deck, or
lying down in their wet clothes; and once in every fortnight or three
weeks, as circumstances permitted, their beds, and the contents of their
chests and bags, were opened out and exposed to the sun and air. On the
Sunday and Thursday mornings, the ship's company was mustered, and every
man appeared clean shaved and dressed; and when the evenings were fine,
the drum and fife announced the fore castle to be the scene of dancing;
nor did I discourage other playful amusements which might occasionally be
more to the taste of the sailors, and were not unseasonable.
Within the tropics, lime juice and sugar were made to suffice as
antiscorbutics; on reaching a higher latitude, sour krout and vinegar
were substituted; the essence of malt was reserved for the passage to New
Holland, and for future occasions. On consulting with the surgeon, I had
thought it expedient to make some slight changes in the issuing of the
provisions. Oatmeal was boiled for breakfast four days in the week,
instead of three; and when rice was issued, after the expenditure of the
cheese, it was boiled on the other three days. Pease soup was prepared
for dinner four days in the week, as usual; and at other times, two
ounces of portable broth, in cakes, to each man, with such additions of
onions, pepper, etc. as the different messes possessed, made a
comfortable addition to their salt meat. And neither in this passage,
nor, I may add, in any subsequent part of the voyage, were the officers
or people restricted to any allowance of fresh water. They drank freely
at the scuttled cask, and took away, under the inspection of the officer
of the watch, all that was requisite for culinary purposes; and very
frequently two casks of water in the week were given for washing their
clothes.
With these regulations, joined to a due enforcement of discipline, I had
the satisfaction to see my people orderly and full of zeal for the
service in which we were engaged; and in such a state of health, that no
delay at the Cape was required beyond the necessary refitment of the
ship, and I still hoped to save a good part of the summer season upon the
south coast of Terra Australis.
[CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. FALSE BAY]
The usual time for His Majesty's ships to leave False Bay and go round to
Table Bay, I found to be the latter end of September; but being then
unacquainted with the precise time, and knowing of the loss of the
Sceptre in Table Bay, on November 5, from a heavy gale at north-west, I
determined to go into False Bay; unless we should get previous
information that it had been quitted by the squadron. At noon, the
extremes of the land bore N. by W. ½ W. and E. ½ N. The Cape Point bore
north, three leagues; and our observed latitude being 34° 32', showed the
Requisite Tables to be erroneous in the position of this point; but that
34° 23', as assigned to it by captain King, was correct.*
[* See _Cook's third Voyage_, Vol. III. page 484.]
At one o'clock we hauled round the rocks which lie off the Cape Point,
and steered into False Bay. Near these rocks were two whales; and one or
more of what seamen call _thrashers_ were engaged in a furious combat
with them, at a less distance than half a mile from the ship. The sinewy
strength of the thrasher must be very great; for besides raising his tail
high out of the water to beat the adversary, he occasionally threw the
whole of his vast body several feet above the surface, apparently to fall
upon him with greater force. Their struggles covered the sea with foam
for many fathoms round.
At three o'clock we got sight of the squadron lying in Simon's Bay. It
consisted of His Majesty's ships Lancaster, Jupiter, Diomede, Imperieuse,
Hindoostan, Rattlesnake, and Euphrosyne, under the command of
vice-admiral sir Roger Curtis, Bart. The master of the Lancaster came on
board to pilot the ship to a proper berth, and I went on shore to wait
upon the vice-admiral. On showing my orders, and presenting an account of
the supplies and the work requisite to put the Investigator in the same
state as on leaving England, I found that the naval magazines could
furnish only some part, and that many articles, especially biscuit, were
not to be obtained; but with great consideration for the service on which
I was sent out, the commander in chief ordered every request to be
granted either in the articles specified, or by substitution; and a
thorough caulking, both within and without side of the ship, being the
work most essential to be done, a gang of caulkers, collected from the
squadron, was sent on board on the following morning.
SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER 1801
The water which is conducted in pipes to the wharf, for the convenience
of shipping, was said not to keep well at sea; and the master of the
Lancaster, from whom this information was obtained, recommended, as much
superior, that which drains through the sand, from the hills on the north
side of Simon's Bay. I went, accordingly, to make an examination; and
found that by sinking a cask in the sand, with the head out and the upper
hoops taken off, the water drained through the spaces between the staves,
sufficiently fast for our purpose. This plan was therefore adopted; and
the watering of the ship immediately commenced.
Having seen this, and some other duties set forward under the proper
officers, I accompanied Mr. Crosley, the astronomer, in search of a place
where the observatory and tents could be conveniently set up. The
situation chosen was near a small rill on the south side of the bay,
about three-hundred yards from the magazine; and the permission of the
military commandant being obtained, two tents, the observatory, and
astronomical instruments were landed in the afternoon, with a guard of
marines. The whole was placed under the charge of Mr. Flinders, the
second lieutenant, who was also to act as an assistant in making and
calculating the observations, for which he was qualified. The situation
of the tents was tolerably well sheltered from the south-eastern gales,
which begin to prevail at this season of the year; but the quantity of
sand put in motion by every breeze, was a great molestation, and proved
injurious to the instruments. Besides this inconvenience, there was
another attached to the situation which had not been foreseen. The road
from Simon's Town to a place called the Company's garden, led close past
the observatory; and this was the sole ride or walk in the neighbourhood,
which the inhabitants and the gentlemen belonging to the ships in the bay
could enjoy. From those of the first rank, who took their morning's ride,
to the sailor who staggered past on a Sunday, and even the slave with his
bundle of fire wood, all stopped at the observatory to see what was going
on. Ramsden's universal theodolite, set up for the purpose of observing
transits, excited its share of attention from the curious. Some wanted
information, some amusement, and all would have liked to see how the sun
appeared through the telescope.
By the end of October, our provisions and stores were received; the sails
had been examined and repaired on board the Lancaster, and were rebent;
and the caulkers having completed their work, the ship was fresh painted.
Being anxious to commence the investigation of the coasts of Terra
Australis, the stripping of the masts and reparation of the rigging were
deferred to King George's Sound, and no more was done at the ship than
necessity required; for I preferred passing the time necessary to a
complete re-equipment in a port where astronomical observations and
surveys could be at the same time usefully carried on, and the
naturalists employ themselves in a field almost unexplored, rather than
in a bay already well known, and where the surrounding country had been
so often traversed.
Mr. Crosley had been frequently unwell during the passage from Madeira;
and after trying the effect of a few days on shore, he decided to remain
at the Cape of Good Hope, and relinquish the expedition. The instruments
supplied by the Board of Longitude he agreed to leave in my care; after
having consulted with the commander in chief upon the subject, and
received his approbation. The loss of the astronomer was severely felt by
me, both from being deprived in the surveys of his more accurate
observations, and from being called upon to supply his place so far as
was in my power. The duties of commander joined to the occupation of
surveyor, left little time for other employment; but through an increase
of effort, and with the assistance of my officers, I hoped to carry on
the surveys and fulfil the most essential parts of the instructions from
the Board of Longitude, at the same time. Of these instructions, Mr.
Crosley permitted me to take a copy.
SUNDAY 1 NOVEMBER 1801
The rates of going with mean solar time of the four time keepers
committed to my charge, were deduced by Mr. Crosley from three days
observation of equal altitudes, with a sextant and quick-silver horizon,
between the 21st and 27th of October. These rates, which he left with me,
I extended to November 1, by equal altitudes taken on that day; and their
respective errors were deduced by allowing 1h 13' 40.47" to be the
longitude in time of Simon's Bay. *
[* In 1763, Mr. Mason determined the longitude of his observatory in Cape
Town, from the transit of Venus, to be 18° 23' 7" east; and the
difference of longitude from thence to Simon's Bay, by the Dutch survey,
is 2' 00" east.]
Earnshaw's No. 543,
slower than mean Greenwich time at noon h ' " "
there Nov. 1, 0 14 35.33 and losing 5.33
No. 520, 34 16.62 15.84
Arnold's No. 176, 50 59.29 8.96
No. 82 -------- -----
No. 1736, watch, faster 21 20.03 17.27
The watch was intended to be taken up rivers, and to such places as the
ship did not go; and in order to gain some knowledge of its probable
performance, I wore it five days in the pocket. Its rate of losing during
that time, was from 11.59" to 8.79" per day; so that upon the average, it
lost 7" less in the pocket than when in a fixed situation; for the above
rate of 17.27" was what it kept in the box, during the last three days.
Arnold's No. 89, altered its rate on the last day, from 2.98" to
1' 18.68", without any apparent cause; no rate could therefore be fixed
for it, with any probability of its being kept. Of the excellent watch
No. 465 of Earnshaw, being Mr. Crosley's private property, we were
deprived at the same time with the astronomer; he also took with him the
reflecting circle, No. 74 of Troughton, both of which I considered to be
an addition to our loss.
So soon as the corresponding altitudes of Sunday afternoon were obtained,
I took on board the time keepers and instruments, with the tents and
observatory. The ship was then ready for sea; but the wind blew a gale
from the south-eastward, which continued until Tuesday [3 NOVEMBER 1801].
It then fell calm, and we unmoored; but before getting under way, the
same wind again set in, and obliged us to drop a second anchor.
Through the kind attention of sir Roger Curtis, the commander in chief,
the state of the ship and our provisions and stores were as complete as
when leaving Spithead. The ship's company had been regularly served with
fresh meat every day, beef and mutton alternately; vegetables were not to
be purchased, but we several times received small quantities, with
oranges and lemons, from the naval hospital in Cape Town; and a
proportion of these for a week, with a few days fresh meat, were carried
to sea. Two of my ship's company, whose dispositions required more
severity in reducing to good order than I wished to exercise in a service
of this nature, were exchanged by the vice-admiral; as also two others,
who from want of sufficient strength, were not proper for so long a
voyage. In lieu of these, I received four men of good character from the
flag ship, who made pressing application to go upon a voyage of
discovery. Mr. Nathaniel Bell, one of the young gentlemen of the quarter
deck, having expressed a wish to return to England, he was discharged;
and Mr. Denis Lacey, midshipman of the Lancaster, received in his place.
Simon's Bay is known to be a large and well-sheltered cove, in the
north-western part of the sound, called False Bay. Since the loss of the
Sceptre in Table Bay, it has been more frequented than formerly; and I
found it to be a prevailing sentiment, that were it not for the
advantages of Cape Town, Simon's Bay would, in every respect, be
preferable for the royal dockyard, and the equipment of His Majesty's
ships. It was remarked to me by an officer of discernment, captain of the
flag ship, that instances of vessels being driven from their anchors by
winds blowing into Simon's Bay, were exceedingly rare. He had observed
that the strain upon the cables with these winds, was much less than with
those of equal strength blowing off the land; and he accounted for it
from the water thrown into the bay by sea winds, rebounding from the
shore and forming what is called an under-tow, which tended to keep a
ship up to her anchors. This takes place in Simon's Bay, with the
south-east winds, but not in Table Bay with those from the north-west,
which blow into it; owing, in part, to the distance at which ships there
ride from the land, and apparently, also, from the under-tow passing out
on the eastern side of the bay, clear of the anchoring ground.
The Cape of Good Hope cannot now be supposed to furnish much of novelty
in the department of natural history, especially to transient visitors;
but it still continues to afford much amusement and instruction to
English botanists. It did so to our gentlemen, who were almost constantly
on shore upon the search; and their collections, intended for examination
on the next passage, were tolerably ample. They were sufficiently
orthodox to walk many miles for the purpose of botanising upon the
celebrated Table Mountain; for what disciple of Linnaeus could otherwise
conscientiously quit the Cape of Good Hope? In taking so early a
departure, though it were to proceed to the almost untrodden, and not
less ample field of botany, New Holland, I had to engage with the counter
wishes of my scientific associates; so much were they delighted to find
the richest treasures of the English green house, profusely scattered
over the sides and summits of these barren hills.