Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/82

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
72
VOYAGE IN SEARCH
[1791.

Teneriffe E. 28° N. and the eaſtern point of the iſland of Canary E. 24° S.

We then ſteered, about one o'clock in the afternoon, S.E.S. with a view to paſs between the Cape Verd iſlands and the main land. We had a pretty freſh eaſt breeze.

About ſix in the evening the iſland Gomere bore N. 38° E.

On the 26th, the Eſperance told us her longitude, after having enquired to know ours. The great difference between the longitude of our reckoning, and that taken by obſervation, threw us into ſome uncertainty, which induced us to bear down two rhomb-lines ſtarboard from our former S.E.S. courſe; but ſubſequent obſervations determined us to reſume our firſt direction. The weather was very fine, and we had nothing to fear from approaching the African coaſt: beſides, we knew from our ſoundings that it was many leagues diſtant.

On the following morning we were out of ſight of land, which convinced us that the obſervations taken on board the Eſperance were erroneous.

We croſſed the Tropic of Cancer about one o'clock in the afternoon, in 20° E. long. The barometer indicated 28 inches 2 4-5ths lines.

The firſt fiſh that would bite at the hook of

our