bearing west-south-west, five leagues distant; we had passed the
island of Porto Sancto in the night, having steered to pass eight
or nine leagues to the eastward of it; we found the ship set this
last 24 hours 12 miles to the southward of the log. At noon the
south-easternmost Deserter bore by compass north 17°. west,
by which we made its latitude 32°. 29'. north, and its
longitude by the time-keeper 16°. 38'. west of Greenwich; the
variation of the compass was here 17°. 00' west: from hence,
with a light breeze from the northward, we steered south half
west, by compass, and at five P.M. on the 1st of June, we made
the Salvages; which was rather sooner than we expected, by the
distance we had run from the Deserters off Madeira, and the
latitude observed the preceding noon, by which we judged
ourselves not less than 17 leagues from them. At midnight we were
exactly in their parallel, and saw them very distinctly by the
light of the moon, which was very clear; their latitude, deduced
from the preceding, as well as following meridian observations,
is 30°. 12'. north, which is 12 miles to the northward of
what they are generally placed, either in tables or charts; their
longitude, by our time-keeper, is 15°. 53'. west. I had never
seen these rocks before, and always understood them to be small
inconsiderable spots, but the largest is so high as to be seen at
the distance of seven or eight leagues, and appears to be about a
mile and a half in length, from north-west to south-east; there
are a few scattered rocks appear above water, to the westward;
and I have been told, that a reef of considerable extent
stretches out from them to the westward.

From the time of our passing these rocks until the evening of
the 3d, we had very light airs and variable, but mostly from the