CHAP. I.

The Paffage to the Coaft of Patagonia, with fome Account of the Natives.

[The longitude in this voyage is reckoned from the meridian of London.]

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AVING received my commiffion, which was dated the 19th of June 1766, I went on board the same day, hoisted the pendant, and began to enter seamen, but, according to my orders, took no boys either for myself or any of the officers.

1766. June 19.

The ship was fitted for the fea with all poffible expedition, during which the articles of war, and the act of parliament were read to the ship's company: on the 26th of Sat. July 26. July we failed down the river, and on the 16th of August, Sat. Aug. 16. at eight o'clock in the morning, anchored in Plymouth Sound.

On the 19th I received my failing orders, with directions Tuesday 19. to take the Swallow floop, and the Prince Frederick storeship under my command: and this day I took on board, among other things, three thousand weight of portable foup, and a bale of cork jackets. Every part of the ship was filled with ftores and neceffaries of various kinds, even to the steerage and state-room, which were allotted to the flops and portable foup. The furgeon offered to purchase an extraordinary quantity of medicines, and medical neceffaries, which, as the ship's company might become fickly,

he faid would in that cafe be of great fervice, if room could be found to flow them in; I therefore gave him leave to put them into my cabbin, the only place in the fhip where they could be received, as they confifted of three large boxes.

On the 22d, at four o'clock in the morning, I weighed and made fail in company with the Swallow and Prince Frederick, and had foon the mortification to find that the Swallow was a very bad failer.

We proceeded in our voyage, without any remarkable incident, till Sunday the feventh of September, when, about eight o'clock in the morning, we faw the ifland of Porto Santo, bearing weft; and about noon faw the caft-end of the island of Madeira.

About five o'clock we ran between this end of the island and the Deferters. On the fide next the Deferters is a low flat island, and near it a needle rock; the fide next to Madeira is full of broken rocks, and for that reafon it is not fafe to come within less than two miles of it.

At fix in the evening we anchored in Madeira Road, about two-thirds of a mile from the fhore, in 24 fathom with a muddy bottom: about eight the Swallow and Prince Frederick alfo came to an anchor; and I fent an officer on fhore to the Governor, to let him know that I would falute him, if he would return an equal number of guns, which he promised to do; the next morning therefore, at fix o'clock, I faluted him with thirteen guns, and he returned thirteen as he had promifed.

Having taken in a proper quantity of water at this place, with four pipes and ten puncheons of wine, fome fresh beef, and a large quantity of onions, we weighed anchor on the 19th, and continued our voyage.

September

At fix o'clock in the morning, of Tuesday the 16th, we 1766. faw the island of Palma, and found the ship 15 miles to the fouthward of her reckoning. As we were failing along this Tuesday 16. island, at the rate of no less than eight miles an hour, with the wind at east, it died away at once; fo that within less than two minutes the fhip had no motion, though we were at least four leagues distant from the fhore. Palma lies in lat. 28° 40' N. long. 17° 48′ W.

On the 20th we tried the current, and found it fet S. W. Saturday 29. by W. one mile an hour: this day we faw two herons flying to the eastward, and a great number of bonettos about the ship, of which we caught eight.

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Monday 22.

In the night between the 21ft and 22d we loft our com- Sunday 21. panion the Swallow, and about eight in the morning we faw the island of Sal, bearing S. W.; at noon it bore S. W. distant 8 leagues; and at noon on the 23d, the nearest land Tuesday 23. of the island of Bonavista bore from S. to W. S. W. distant feven or eight miles, the east-end, at the fame time, bearing W. diftant two leagues. In this fituation we founded, and had only 15 fathom, with rocky ground; at the same time we faw a very great rippling, which we fuppofed to be caused by a reef, ftretching off the point about E. S. E. three miles, and breakers without us, diftant alfo about three miles in the direction of S. E. We fleered between the rippling and the breakers, but after hauling the ship off about half a mile, we had no foundings. The Prince Frederick passed very near the breakers, in the S. E. but had no foundings; yet thefe breakers are fuppofed to be dangerous. The middle of the isle of Sal is in lat. 16° 55′ N. long. 21° 59′ W.; the middle of Bonavifta is in lat. 16° 10′ long. 23° W.

VOL. I.

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On

1766. September.

Wednef. 24.

On the next day, at fix in the morning, the ifle of May bore from W. to S. W. fix leagues; and foon after the Swallow again joined company. At half an hour after 10 the weftend of the isle of May bore north at the distance of five miles, and we found a current here, fetting to the fouthward at the rate of twenty miles in four and twenty hours. The latitude of this ifland is 15° ro N. longitude 22° 25′ W.

At noon the fouth-end of the ifland St. Iago bore S. W. by W. distant four leagues; and the north-end N. W. distant five leagues. At half an hour after three we anchored in Port Praya, in that ifland, in company with the Swallow and Prince Frederick, in eight fathom water, upon fandy ground. We had much rain and lightning in the night, and early in Thursday 25. the morning I fent to the commanding-officer at the fort, for leave to get off fome water, and other refreshmenis, which he granted.

We foon learnt that this was the fickly feason, and that the rains were fo great as to render it extremely difficult to get any thing down from the country to the fhips: it happened also, unfortunately, that the fmall-pox, which is extremely fatal here, was at this time epidemic; fo that I permitted no man to go ashore who had not had that distemper, and I would not fuffer even those that had to go into any house.

We procured, however, a fupply of water and fome cattle. from the shore, and caught abundance of fish with the feine, which was hauled twice every day: we found alfo in the valley where we got our water, a kind of large purflain, growing wild in amazing quantities: this was a most welcome refreshment both raw as a fallad, and boiled with the broth

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broth and pease; and when we left the place we carried away enough of it to serve us a week.

1766. September.

On the 28th, at half an hour after twelve we weighed and Sunday 28. put to fea; at half an hour after fix in the evening the peak of Fuego bore W. N. W. distant 12 leagues, and in the night the burning mountain was very visible.

This day I ordered hooks and lines to be ferved to all the fhip's company, that they might catch fish for themselves; but at the fame time I alfo ordered that no man fhould keep his fifh more than four and twenty hours before it was eaten, for I had obferved that ftale, and even dried fifh, had made the people fickly, and tainted the air in the ship.

October. Wednef. 1.

On the first of October, in lat. 10° 37′ N. we loft the true trade-wind, and had only light and variable gales; and this day we found that the fhip was fet twelve miles to the northward by a current; on the third we found a current run S. Friday 3. by E. at the rate of fix fathom an hour, or about twenty miles and a half a day: on the feventh we found the ship Tuesday 7. 19 miles to the fouthward of her reckoning.

On the 20th, our butter and cheese being all expended, we Monday 20. began to ferve the fhip's company with oil, and I gave orders that they should also be served with mustard and vinegar once a fortnight during the rest of the voyage.

On the 22d we faw an incredible number of birds, and Wednef. 22. among the reft a man of war bird, which inclined us to think that fome land was not more than 60 leagues diftant: this day we croffed the equator in longitude 23° 40′ W.

On the 24th I ordered the fhip's company to be ferved with Friday 24. brandy, and reserved the wine for the fick and convalefcent. On the 26th the Prince Fredcrick made fignals of diftrefs, Sanday 26. upon which we bore down to her, and found that she had