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ing the veflel, of which he was put in charge to Englan. and about fix o'clock on the following evening, with a light breeze of wind from the S.E., we direfted our courfe to the north- weft ward, anxioudy looking forward to that happy hour which fhould once more land us amongft
our refpeftive friends, from whofe fociety we had fuffered fo long and fo painful an abfence.
The weather continued to be very pleafant, and we made great progrefs to the north-weftward. On faturday the 25th wc crofTed the equa- Saturday s^. tor in longitude 21° 35' weft from Greenwich, where the variation, by two fets of azimuths, was found to be 9° 20' weftwardly. From this time nothing occurred worthy of remark until the 5th of auguft; when one of the Cape de Verd iflands was feen, bearing by compafs N. 16 e. The weather had continued to be very pleafant, and although the winds, fince the conclufion of the preceding month, had veered from the fouth> eaftern to the weft and north-weftern quarters, yet we had not been pre- vented from making our north-weftern courfe good, agreeably to my wifties.
Our people, ever fince our departure from St. Helena, had been occafionally employed in mending the fails and rigging, and, on all fuitablc. opportunities, they had exercifed with the great guns and finall arms; whilft the extremely pleafant weather which had attended us, had greatly contributed to our becoming well acquainted with the management of both.
About four o'clock in the afternoon of the 20th, three velfels were -difcovered to the northward, and at eight in the evening eight fail were feen from the maft-head, bearing by compafs n. Sow. All our canvafs was immediately fpread, in the hope of our being able to overtake them; being in great hopes the veftels in fight would prove to be the convoy which had left the bay of St. Helena on the morning of our arrival there; in the event of which. I ftiould be happy to avail myfelf of the proteftion we fhould derive by accompanying fo ftrong a fleet to England. At day-light Friday the next morning five ftiips only were in fight from the maft-head, but at feven in the morning nine fail of large veifels were fo clearly difcerned to leave in my mind no doubt of their being a part of the fleet
