THE WATCH MACHINE.

On 7th June the two ships put to sea, and on the 8th some accident happened to Arnold's timepiece on board the Resolution, and they were unable to wind it up. So far it had been working very well, but not quite so accurately as Kendal's. On the return of the ship to England, Arnold was informed that either by carelessness or wilfully Mr. Wales had caused this difficulty. Wales attributed this rumour to the Forsters, to whom he wrote on the subject, and it is very evident from their replies that though they did not admit having circulated the report, they were not ignorant that Arnold had been so informed. There does not appear to be any ground for the accusation, but it does appear very probable it originated with the Forsters.

Throughout the rest of June they experienced very rough weather, and it was not till 18th July that they reached 133 degrees West, having seen no signs of land on their way. Cook therefore turned northwards so as to cross the space between his track north and return south in 1769. This course would practically settle one view about the supposed Southern Continent, for it had been laid down by some of the theorists that it must be in the middle latitudes of the South Pacific. New Zealand had been said to be the western side of this continent (already disproved by Cook in his previous voyage), and what Forster calls "the pretended discoveries near America," the eastern side. The proposed course would take the ships through the centre of the part of the ocean in dispute.

On 29th July, Cook sent a boat to the Adventure, as he had heard her crew were very sickly, and found that about twenty of her men were down with scurvy, and the cook had died of the disease. Orders were given that the utmost precautions were to be taken, and wort, carrot marmalade, and rob of lemon were to be freely served out. On the Resolution, at the same time, three men were on the sick list, only one of whom had scurvy, but some of the others were showing symptoms, so similar precautions were taken, with good results.