Towards the evening, the barometer fell, and the weather began to be cloudy: but I continued ſtanding to the Southward with a freſh breeze till midnight, when we hove to and ſounded; but did not find ground, with one hundred and ſeventy fathoms of line. The gale was increaſing every hour with a heavy ſea; and, by day-light, we could only carry cloſe-reefed top-ſails and fore-ſail. The weather was dark and hazy, the ſea aſſumed a deep lead-colour, many birds and whales remained with us, and we paſſed large quantities of ſea-weed. At noon we were in the Latitude of 43° 3′ South, and Longitude 35° 38′ Weſt. Here we ſounded, but found no bottom: nevertheleſs, every circumſtance ſtrengthened our conjectures that we were nearing the land, which induced me to proceed on my courſe, although it continued to blow hard from Weſt North Weſt. At midnight we hove to, and ſounded with one hundred and ſeventy fathoms of line, but found no bottom. At day-light we ſounded again with two hundred fathoms of line, and were equally unſucceſſful. We now made ſail, and at noon our Latitude was 44° 51′; Longitude by obſervation, 34° 59′; and by mean of chronometers 33° 53′ 30″ Weſt.
The birds leſſened greatly in numbers, and with them our hopes of finding the land which was the object of our ſearch. I continued, however, to cruiſe about for ſeveral