1773.
March.
gours of the climate likewise violently affected the live sheep, which we had embarked at the Cape of Good Hope. They were covered with eruptions, dwindled to mere skeletons, and would hardly take any nourishment. Our goats and sows too, miscarried in the tempestuous weather, or their off-spring were killed by the cold. In short, we felt, from the numerous concurrent circumstances, that it was time to abandon the high southern latitudes, and retire to some port, where our crew might obtain refreshments, and where we might save the few sheep, which were intended as presents to the natives of the South-sea islands.
On the 16th, being in about 58 degrees of south latitude, we saw the sea luminous at night, though not to such a degree as we had observed it near the Cape, but only by means of some scattered sparks. This phænomenon was however remarkable, on account of the high latitude we were in, and the cold weather, our thermometer being at 33¼° at noon. We saw the southern lights again during the nights of the 16th and 19th; and this last time, the columns formed an arch across the sky, rather brighter than any we had hitherto seen. We now stood to the north-eastward, in order to reach the south end of New-Zeeland; and on this course we had strong gales, and frequently saw weeds, especially rock-weeds, together with numbers of petrels, and other birds. We were much amused by a singular chace of several skuas or great grey gulls,after
