Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 32
Description
and miserable Situation. Ship’s Diet is badly calculated for this Disorder, & other things cannot be procur’d for such a Number.
21st. By a Calculation we found our Water would run short, at the Quantity daily expended, Wherefore the People were put to an Allowance of Three Pints PDay. We now saw every Day a Number of Birds about the Ship, & not being far from the Coast of Brazil, it was the general Wish that the Admiral would steer for Rio Janeiro on that Coast, as he was acquainted that there was a great Number of sick in the Fleet, many of whose Lives might perhaps be saved by such a step. It was the Winter Season off the Cape, & he well knew, we must meet with Hurricanes in the Months of June and July, whereas had he gone to Rio Janeiro, the whole Fleet might have lain there, & refresh’d till those Months were expired, when he would have fine Weather to run to the Cape. This would have occasion’d no delay, as it was necessary for him to lay some where or other two Months, to arrive in proper Season on the Coast of Coromandell … On the Morning of the 22nd. we saw the Island of Trinidada bearing SW five Leagues and the Rocks of Martin Vas SbE[?]E. about three Leagues, and a ship under Swedish Colours. This Island appears to be a lofty irregular Rock, it being impossible to discover the [end page 32]
21st. By a Calculation we found our Water would run short, at the Quantity daily expended, Wherefore the People were put to an Allowance of Three Pints PDay. We now saw every Day a Number of Birds about the Ship, & not being far from the Coast of Brazil, it was the general Wish that the Admiral would steer for Rio Janeiro on that Coast, as he was acquainted that there was a great Number of sick in the Fleet, many of whose Lives might perhaps be saved by such a step. It was the Winter Season off the Cape, & he well knew, we must meet with Hurricanes in the Months of June and July, whereas had he gone to Rio Janeiro, the whole Fleet might have lain there, & refresh’d till those Months were expired, when he would have fine Weather to run to the Cape. This would have occasion’d no delay, as it was necessary for him to lay some where or other two Months, to arrive in proper Season on the Coast of Coromandell … On the Morning of the 22nd. we saw the Island of Trinidada bearing SW five Leagues and the Rocks of Martin Vas SbE[?]E. about three Leagues, and a ship under Swedish Colours. This Island appears to be a lofty irregular Rock, it being impossible to discover the [end page 32]
