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[Page 249]

South Sea

March 1769

Nescessary that so much of the South sea as the authors of it call land should be so otherwise this word would not be properly balnc'd as the quantity of Earth known to be situated in the Northern hemisphere would not have a counterpoise in this. The number of square degrees of their land which we have already chang'd into water sufficiently disproves this & teaches me at least that till we know how this globe is fixd in that place which has been since its creation assignd to it in the general system we need not be anxious to assign give reasons why how any one part of it counterbalances the rest

21. Calm this morn: went out in the boat & shot Tropick bird Phaeton erubescens & Procellaria atrata velox & sordida took Turbo fluitans floating upon the water in the same manner as Helix Janthina Medusa Porpita exactly like those taken on the other side of the continent & a small Cimex? which also was taken before but appears to be a larva if so probably of some animal that lives under water as I saw many but none that appeard

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