Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0251
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[Page 251]
South Sea
March 1769
the ship all today the weather very hot & damp Thermometer 80 which it never was at sea before except in the calms under the line.
23. Most troublesome weather calms & squalls with very heavy rain but the wind will not stirr many Egg birds seen today & some few Tropick
24. Blew fresh still wind as foul as ever the officer of the watch reported that in the middle watch the water from being roughish became on a sudden as smooth as a mill pond so that the ship from going only 4 knotts at once increasd to six tho there was little or no more wind than before this & a log of wood which was seen to pass by the ship by several people made them beleive that there was land to windward.
At 8 when I came on deck the signs were all gone I saw however two birds which seemed to be of the sterna? Kind both very small one quite white & another quite black who from their appearance probably could not venture far from Land
Today by our reckoning we crossed the tropick