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7 to the Strait of Magellan. advance in latitude, but on the contrary course towards the S.W. we gained a little southing, but still added more to our longitude, and were consequently departing widely from the meridian of Teneriffe, (10° 2'/W. from Cadiz;) the point in which, as we before said, it is customary to cross the Equi noctial, As two or three ships, which have cut the line much to the W. of that meridian, have not been able afterwards to weather Cape St. Augustine, on the coast of Brasil, other navigators have been induced to keep as near to it as possible ; notwith standing that experience has uniformly shewn, that the calms are more frequent and lasting, the sudden squalls and storms of lightning more violent and terrible, towards the coast of Africa, than they are towards the westward. In a climate of such a na ture, the voyage is unavoidably much protracted ; the stock of water is exhausted ; and sickness, particularly the scurvy, is introduced into the ship, producing effects the most dreadful. The preservation of the health and lives of the ship’s company ought to be the principal object of a commander’s solicitude; not only because humanity requires it, but because it is the only way to attain the accomplishment of the expedition entrusted to him : and his care and attention ought to be more particularly exerted in a long voyage, in which little or no re freshment or relief can be expected. From these considerations, we resolved to follow such courses as would produce the great est southing, in order to be freed from those latitudes so sub ject to calms, squalls, and sudden gusts of wind. We had be sides observed that our frigate sailed remarkably well and close to the wind, so that we had reason to hope, if we should fall a little to the leeward, that we would soon recover a proper situ ation especially as we were very confident in our methods for correcting errors in our reckoning, and in our calculations of our position with respect to the American coast. The winds continued to blow from S.S.E. to S.E. with the sky cloudy and squally, as is generally the case in these parts. On the 8th we discovered a flaw in one of our top-masts about a yard long, and of considerable depth, which obliged us in future to proportion our sail to what we thought the mast would bear. On the 9th November, at 10 i>. M. we crossed the equinoctial line at 19° W. from Cadiz, (351° 22' from the meridian of Teneriffe, counted easterly,) according to the time-piece No. 16, which coincided with No. 71, and both within half a degree of the longitude deduced from observations of the moon’s distance from the sun. Our reckoning placed the frigate 51'
