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An.1683
Isles of Sibbel de Wards.
nothing worthy remark ; not so much as a Fish, ex- cept Flying Fish, which have been so often describ- ed, that I think it needless for me to do it.
Here we found the Sea much changed from its natural greenness, to a white, or palish colour, which caused us to found, supposing we might strike ground: For when ever we find the colour of the Sea to change, we know we are not far from Land, or shoals which stretch out into the Sea, running from some Land. But here we found no ground with 100 fathom Line. I was this day at noon by reckoning, 48 d. 50 m. Weft from the Lizard, the variation by our morning amplitude 15 d. 50 m. East, the variation increasing. The 20 day one of our Chyrurgeons dyed much lament- ed, because we had but one more for such a dan- gerous Voyage.
January 28th we made the Sibbel de Wards, which are 3 Islands lying in the lat. of 51 d. 25 m. South, and longitude West from the Lizard in England, by my account, 57 d. 28 m. the variation here we found to be 23 d. 10 m. I had for a month before we came hither, endeavoured to perswade Captain Cook and his Company to anchor at these Islands, where I told them we might probably get water, as I then thought, and in case we should miss of it here, yet by being good Husbands of what we had, we might reach John Fernando's in the South Seas, be- fore our water was spent. This I urged to hinder their designs of going through the Straits of Ma- gellan, which I knew would prove very dangerous to us, the rather, because our men being Privateers, and so more wilful and less under command, would not be so ready to give a watchful attendance in a passage so little known. For altho these men were more under command, than I had ever seen any Privateers, yet I could not expect to find them at a minutes call, in coming to an anchor, or weigh- ing