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6 Cordova's Voyage of Discovery Although it is the ordinary practice to cross the Equinoctial Line about the meridian of Teneriffe, (10° 22' W. from Cadiz;) yet, in order to avoid the calms which almost constantly prevail to the eastward of that point of longitude, we resolved to cross it more to the westward, viz. from ]4° to 15 9 W. from Cadiz, and accordingly directed our course to that quarter. As soon as we had passed the Tropic of Cancer, we began to distribute to every man of the crew a large plate of gaspacho, or spiced salad, by the use of which, and by regularly sprink ling vinegar and brine between the decks, we succeeded in maintaining them stout and healthy. On the o4th at night, the breezes for the first time failed us, in N. latitude 11°. Nothing else noticeable having occurred since we lost sight of the Canaries. A bright unclouded sky ; winds regular and moderate, which temper the intense heat of the sun’s rays ; and a sea rarely agi tated to excess : these circumstances have procured to this part of the Ocean the appellation of the Ladies’ Hay. The sight we enjoyed every day of flying-fish, tunnies, and bonitos, diversi fied a little the monotony of this scene. We also had the com pany of a number of land birds, which, driven by the violence of the winds more than 100 leagues from .their native country, hoped to escape unavoidable destruction in the water, by vo luntarily delivering themselves into the bands of men. About noon on the 25th, breezes again sprung up from E, and E.N.E., which, though feeble, still gave us hopes of speed ily passing the Line. During the night we were assailed by a furious squall, which, leaving us no time to prepare for it, did some damage to our rigging; but, on the other hand, it furnished an opportunity of knowing the trim of our vessel; a circumstance which was afterwards of great consequence to us. The storm veered round by the N. to the W., and, alter an hour’s duration, it ceased ; the heavens clear ing up, which, during the squall, hud a most unfavourable; aspect. On the morning of the 27th spoke with a Portuguese vessel, the Pez Medeo, out :i8 days from Lisbon, and bound for Rio Janeiro in Brasil: her reckoning was very erroneous; and she sailed so ill. that we were not surprised at the small advance she had made in her voyage. Calms and moderate winds continued successively till the 31st, when the latter became more constant from the N.E. and N.N.E.: our latitude being then about 7" 3o'N. ; and, on the 1st November, they changed to S.S.E. We were now in longitude 14° W. from Cadiz. Standing on a tack to the eastward, with the wind at S.S.E. we made no f