the wind continued invariably fixed between
N.W. and W., we took every advantage to get to the west, by tacking
whenever it shifted any thing in our favour; but as we had a great swell
against us, our tacks were rather disadvantageous. We daily saw
albatrosses, peterels, and other oceanic birds; but not the least sign
of land.

On the 11th, in the latitude of 40 deg. 40' S., longitude 23 deg. 47' E., the
variation was 20 deg. 48' W. About noon the same day the wind shifted
suddenly from N.W. to S.W., caused the mercury in the thermometer to
fall as suddenly from 62 deg. to 52 deg.; such was the different state of the
air, between a northerly and southerly wind. The next day, having
several hours calm, we put a boat in the water, and shot some
albatrosses and peterels, which, at this time, were highly acceptable.
We were now nearly in the situation where the isles which we were in
search of, are said to lie; however, we saw nothing that could give us
the least hope of finding them.

The calm continued till five o'clock of the next morning, when it was
succeeded by a breeze at W. by S., with which we stood to N.N.W., and at
noon observed in latitude 38 deg. 51' S. This was upwards of thirty miles
more to the north than our log gave us; and the watch shewed that we had
been set to the east also. If these differences did not arise from some
strong current, I know not how to account for them. Very strong currents
have been found on the African coast, between Madagascar and the Cape
of Good Hope, but I never heard of their extending so far from the land;
nor is it probable they do. I rather suppose that this current has no
connection with that on the coast; and that we happened to fall into
some stream which is neither lasting nor regular. But these are points
which require much time to investigate, and must therefore be left to
the industry of future navigators.

We were now two degrees to the north of the parallel in which the isles
of Denia and Marseveen are said to lie. We had seen

William Babington Maxwell (18661938) was a British novelist. He was a son of novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Though nearly 50 years old at the outbreak of the First World War, he was accepted as a lieutenant in the Royal Fusiliers and served in France until 1917.

Cyrus Townsend Brady (December 20, 1861 January 24, 1920) was a journalist, historian and adventure writer. His most well-known work is Indian Fights and Fighters. He was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1883. He was also a deacon in the Episcopal church. His first wife was Clarissa Guthrie, who died in 1890. His second wife was Mary Barrett.

Rebecca Sophia Clarke (1833-1906), also known as Sophie May, was an American author of childrens fiction. Using her nieces and nephews as inspiration, she wrote realistic stories about children. She wrote 45 books between 1860 and 1903. The most popular being the Little Prudy books. She lived most of her life in her native town of Norridgewock, Maine, where she lived out her life with her sister, who was also a successful author.