1767. April.

Sunday 5.

Friday 10.

Saturday 11.

out to their women, till they took the alarm and ran out of fight, and as soon as they got to land, drew their canoes upon the beach, and followed them with the utmost expedition.

We continued daily to gather muscles till the 5th, when feveral of the people being feized with fluxes, the furgeon defired that no more muscles might be brought into the ship.

1

2

2

The weather being still tempeftuous and unfettled, we remained at anchor till 10 o'clock in the morning of Friday the roth, and then, in company with the Swallow, we made fail. At noon, Cape Providence bore N. N. W. diftant four or five miles; at four in the afternoon Cape Tamer bore N. W. by W. W. diftant three leagues, Cape Upright E. S. E. ¦ S. distant three leagues, and Cape Pillar W. distant 10 leagues. We steered about W. N. all night, and at fix o'clock in the morning, had run eight and thirty miles by the log. At this time Cape Pillar bore S. W. distant half a mile, and the Swallow was about three miles a-ftern of us. At this time there being but little wind, we were obliged to make all the fail we could, to get without the Streight's mouth. At 11 o'clock I would have fhortened fail for the. Swallow, but it was not in my power, for as a current fet us ftrongly down upon the ifles of Direction, and the wind came to the weft, it became abfolutely neceffary for me to carry fail, that I might clear them. Soon after we loft fight of the Swallow, and never faw her afterwards. At first I was. inclined to have gone back into. the Streight, but a fog coming on, and the sea rifing, very fast, we were all of opinion that it was indifpenfibly neceffary to get an offing as foon as poffible; for except we preffed the ship with fail, before the fea rofe too high, it would be impracticable either. to weather Terra del Fuego on one tack, or Cape Victory on the

1767.

April.

the other. At noon, the Islands of Direction bore N. 21′ W. diftant three leagues, Saint Paul's cupola and Cape Victory in one, N. diftant feven leagues, and Cape Pillar E. diftant Saturday 116 fix leagues.

Our latitude, by observation, was 52° 38′ and we computed our longitude to be 76° W.

Thus we quitted a dreary and inhospitable region, where we were in almost perpetual danger of shipwreck for near four months, having entered the Streight on the 17th of December 1766, and quitted it on the 11th of April 1767; a region where, in the midst of summer, the weather was cold, gloomy, and tempeftuous, where the prospects had more the appearance of a chaos than of Nature, and where, for the most part, the vallies were without herbage, and the: hills without wood.

CHA P..

CHA P. III.

A particular Account of the Places in which we anchored during our Paffage through the Streight, and of the

H

Shoals and Rocks that lie near them.

VING cleared the Streight, we fteered a western courfe. But before I continue the narrative of our voyage, I fhall give a more particular account of the feveral places where we anchored, plans of which are deposited in the Admiralty Office for the ufe of future navigators, with the fhoals and rocks that lie near them, the latitude, longitude, tides, and variation of the compafs.

I. CAPE VIRGIN MARY. The bay under this Cape is a good harbour, when the wind is westerly. There is a shoal lying off the Cape, but that may eafily be known by the rock weed that grows upon it: the Cape is a fleep white cliff, not unlike the South Foreland. Its latitude, by obfervation, is 52° 24′ S. and its longitude, by account, 68° 22′ W. The variation of the needle, by the medium of five azimuths and one amplitude, was 24° 30' E. In this place we faw no appearance either of wood or water. We anchored in 10 fathom, with coarse fandy ground, about a mile from the fhore, Cape Virgin Mary bearing N. by W. W. diftant about two miles, and Dungeness Point S. S. W. diftant four miles. We anchored here on the 17th of December, and failed the next day. There is good landing, on a fine fandy beach, all along the fhore.

II. POSSESSION BAY. In failing into this bay, it is neceffary to give the point a good birth, because there is a reef

that

that runs right off it about a short mile. The foundings are very irregular all over the bay, but the ground is every where a fine foft mud and clay, fo that the cables can come to no damage. The Point lies in latitude 52° 23′ S., longitude, by account, 68° 57′ W.: the variation is two points easterly. In the bay the tide rises and falls between four and five fathom, and runs at the rate of about a mile an hour; in the mid-channel without the bay, it runs nearly three miles an hour. In this place we saw no appearance either of wood or water. The landing appeared to be good, but we did not go on fhore. We anchored here on the 19th of December, and failed again on the 22d.

III. PORT FAMINE. At this place, the Spaniards, in the year 1581, built a town, which they called Phillippeville, and left in it a colony, confifting of 400 perfons. When our celebrated navigator, Cavendish, arrived here in 1587, he found one of these unhappy wretches, the only one that remained, upon the beach: they had all perished for want of fubfiftence, except twenty-four; twenty-three of these set out for the river Plata, and were never afterwards heard of. This man, whofe name was Hernando, was brought to England by Cavendish, who called the place where he had taken him up, Port Famine. It is a very fine bay, in which there is room and conveniency for many ships to moor in great safety. We moored in nine fathom, having brought Cape St. Anne N. E. by E. and Sedger River S. W. which perhaps is the best fituation, though the whole bay is good ground. In this place there is very good wooding and watering;. we caught many fine small fish with a hook and line off the ship's fide, and hauled the seine with great fuccefs, in a fine fandy bay, a little to the fouthward of Sedger River: we also shot a great number of birds, of various kinds, particularly geefe, ducks, teal, fnipes, plover, and race-horses, and we found.

7

1.

2

found wild celery in great plenty. The latitude of this place is 53° 42′ S., longitude, by obfervation, 71° 28′ W.; the variation is two points eafterly. We anchored here the 27th of December 1766, and failed again the 18th of January 1767.

IV. CAPE HOLLAND BAY. There is no danger in failing into this bay, and there is good anchoring ground in every part of it. We lay at about three cables' length from the fhore, in ro fathom, the ground coarse fand and fhells, Cape Holland bearing W. S. W. W. diftant three miles, Cape Froward a little to the N. of the E. Right a-breast of the ship there was a very fine rivulet, and clofe under Cape Holland a large river, navigable for boats many miles: the fhore also affords fire wood in great plenty. We found abundance of wild celery and cranberries, mufcles and limpets, but caught very little fish, either with hook and line, or the feine. We killed fome geefe, ducks, teal, and race-horfes, but they were not plenty. This bay lies in latitude 53° 57′ S. longitude, by account, 72° 34′ W.; the variation is two points eafterly. The water rose about eight feet; we found, however, no regular tide, but for the most part a strong current setting to the eastward. We anchored here on the 19th of January, and failed again on the 23d.

V. CAPE GALLANT BAY. In this bay, which may be entered with great fafety, there is a fine large lagoon, where a fleet of fhips may moor in perfect fecurity. There is a depth of four fathom in every part of it, with a soft muddy ground. In the bay, the best anchoring is on the east fide, where there is from fix to ten fathom. Here is good watering from two rivers, and plenty of wood. The lagoon abounded with wild fowl, and we found wild celery, muscles, and limpets in plenty. We did not haul the feine, having torn one to pieces, and the other being unpacked,