Scope and Contents The August entries begin with increased sightings of tropical birds, dolphins and flying fish as the ship approached Tahiti. Bayly notes that the crew caught a shark five foot long and later, a large albatross. On 11 August he records that they had discovered land, which he initially describes as ‘3 small sandy islands with a few trees on the most elevated parts’; the following day he states that it proved to be a long low sandy island [RGO 14/56: 80v-81r]. On 14 August they sighted three...

Scope and Contents

The observations begin with a note on setting up his observatory and equipment on shore. They include observations for the going of the clocks; reductions of the rate of Watch No. 1 from comparisons with Clock (B); observations on the tides; observed azimuths and amplitudes; and observations of the depression of the magnetic needle.