3rd January 1769

Rio de Janeiro to Tierra del Fuego

Fresh gales and clear weather; under Single Reef Topsails. P.M. Saw some Whales and Porpoises and small red Crawfish, some of which we Caught. At Noon saw several Birds of a light Grey Colour, like Pidgeons, but smaller; these are of the Mother Carey's kind. Longitude per Observation 61 degrees 29 minutes 45 seconds, which is 22 minutes to the westward of Yesterday, but the ship hath made 41 minutes, Consequently there is an Error of 19 minutes, which is not to be supposed to be in the Log in one Day's run; but, be it which way it will, it is not great. Wind West, Southerly; course South 11 degrees; distance 122 miles; latitude 47 degrees 17 minutes South, longitude 61 degrees 29 minutes 45 seconds West.

Joseph Banks Journal

Lat: 47:17, all hands looking out for Pepys's Island; about observing time an appearance was seen to the westward so like an Island that we bear away after it almost assurd that it is Land as the midshipman at the mast head declard; for half an hour, which time he had steadily lookd at it, it did not alter its appearance at all, however about 4 we were convincd that we were in chace of Cape fly away as the seamen call it, no signs of Island or any thing else appearing where it ought to have been.

This Evening many large bunches of sea weed came by the ship; we caught some of it with hooks, it was of an immense size every leaf 4 feet long and the stalk about twelve, the footstalk of each leaf was swelld into a long air vessel. Mr Gore tells me that he has seen this weed grow quite to the top of the water in 12 fathom, if so the swelld footstalks are probably the trumpet grass or weed of the Cape of Good Hope; we describd it however as it appeard and calld it Fucus Giganteus. Here were also this Evening large quantities of a small bird somewhat like Mother Careys chickens but rather larger and grey on the back, and plenty of Albatrosses indeed we have seen more or less of them every day for some time.