Today at noon we crossed the Line, and were once more in the
northern hemisphere. A Tahitian sucking-pig was killed and consumed
in honour of our successful passage, and our native hemisphere
toasted in real hock.
On the 4th of June, under 8 degrees North latitude, we beheld again,
for the first time, the lovely polar star.
On the 17th of June, we passed so near to Saypan, one of the largest
of the Ladrone Islands, that we could make out the mountains very
distinctly. The Ladrone and Marianne Islands are situated between
the 13 and 21 degrees North latitude, and the 145 and 146 degrees
East longitude.
On the 1st of July we again saw land: this time it was the coast of
Lucovia, or Luzon, the largest of the Philippines, and lying between
the 18 and 19 degrees North latitude, and the 125 and 119 degrees
East longitude. The port of Manilla is situated on the southern
coast of the island.
In the course of the day we passed the island of Babuan, and several
detached rocks, rising, colossus like, from the sea. Four of them
were pretty close together, and formed a picturesque group. Some
time afterwards we saw two more.
In the night of the 1st-2nd of July, we reached the western point of
Luzon, and entered on the dangerous Chinese Sea.
