10th October 1768

Cape de Verde Islands to Brazil
Monday, 10th. First part, light breezes and Clear weather; Middle, squally, with heavy Showers of Rain; latter, Variable, light Airs and Calm and dark gloomy weather. At 3 p.m. found the Current to set North-North-East 1/4 East, 1 1/4 Mile per Hour, and at Noon found it to set North-East 3/4 North at the same rate, and the Variation to be 8 degrees 39 minutes West by the Mean of Several Azimuth. Wind South-East by East, Southerly; course South; distance 10 miles; latitude 7 degrees 48 minutes North; longitude 22 degrees 13 minutes West; at noon, Bonavista, South-East point, North 3 degrees East, 164 leagues.

Joseph Banks Journal
Went out in the boat today, took plenty of Helix Janthina and some few of violacea, shot the black toed gull of Penn. Zool. It had not yet been describd according to Linnaeus's system, so calld it Larus crepidatus; its food here seems to be cheifly Helixes which appeard probable at least, on account of its dung being of a lively red colour, much like that which was procurd from the shells.

I was drove home from this excursion by a very heavy squall of rain, which intirely wetted me through long before it was possible to return to the ship, however I receivd no other harm from the ducking than the present inconvenience of being so thoroughly wet. The remainder of today was very squally, with much rain; indeed it has been so ever since we lost the trade, and the people who have been here before say that it is generaly so in these latitudes; I can liken it to nothing so much as April in England, when it is very showery, the weather is never certain for two hours, or indeed half the time, tho calms spend much the greatest part of our time in idleness.

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