I went on fhore: the river, as far as I could fee, was very broad; there were in it a number of islands, fome of which were very large, and I make no doubt but that it penetrates the country for fome hundreds of miles. It was upon one of the islands that I went on fhore, and I found there such a number of birds, that when they rose they literally darkened the sky, and we could not walk a step without treading upon their eggs. As they kept hovering over our heads at a little distance, the men knocked down many of them with ftones and flicks, and carried off feveral hundreds of their eggs. After some time, I left the island and landed upon the main, where our men dressed and eat their eggs, though there were young birds in most of them. I faw no traces of inhabitants on either fide of the river, but great numbers of guanicoes, in herds of fixty or feventy together: they would not however fuffer us to approach them, but flood and gazed at us from the hills. In this excurfion the Surgeon, who was of my party, fhot a tyger-cat, a small but very fierce animal; for though it was much wounded, it maintained a very fharp contest with my dog for a confiderable time before it was killed.

1764. November.

Wednef. 28.

On the 29th, we completed our ballaft, which the ftrength Thursday 20of the tide, and the conftant gales of wind rendered a very difficult and laborious task; we also got on board another ton of water. On the morning of the 30th, the weather Friday 30.

was fo bad that we could not fend a boat on fhore; but employed all hands on board in setting up the rigging. It grew more moderate however about noon, and I then fent a boat to procure more water. The two men who first came up to the well found there a large tyger lying upon the ground; having gazed at each other fome time, the men, who had no fire-arms, feeing the beaft treat them with as

much

1

1764.

November.

Friday 30.

December. Saturday 1.

Wednef. 5.

much contemptuous neglect as the lion did the knight of La Mancha, began to throw ftones at him: of this infult however he did not deign to take the least notice, but continued ftretched upon the ground in great tranquillity till the reft of the party came up, and then he very leisurely rose and walked away.

On the ift of December, our cutter being thoroughly repaired, we took her on board, but the weather was fo bad that we could not get off any water: the next day we ftruck the tents which had been fet up at the watering-place, and got all ready for fea. The two wells from which we got our water bear about S. S. E. of the Steeple rock, from which they are distant about two miles and an half; but I fixed a mark near them, that they might be still more eafily found than by their bearings. During our ftay in this harbour, we founded every part of it with great care, as high as a ship could go, and found that there is no danger but what may be seen at low water; fo that now fresh water is found, though at fome distance from the beach, it would be a very convenient place for ships to touch at, if it were not for the rapidity of the tide. The country about the bay abounds with guanicoes, and a great variety of wild fowl, particularly ducks, geefe, widgeon, and sea-pies, befides many others for which we have no name. Here is also such plenty of excellent muscles, that a boat may be loaded with them every time it is low water. Wood indeed is fcarce; however in fome parts of this coaft there are bushes, which in a cafe of neceffity might produce a tolerable fupply of fuel.

On Wednesday the 5th of December, I unmoored, in order to get out, but the best bower came up foul, and before we could heave fhort upon the fmall bower, the tide of ebb made ftrong; for at this place flack water scarcely continues

ten

ten minutes; so that we were obliged to wait till it should be low water. Between five and fix in the evening, we weighed, and steered out E. N. E. with a fresh gale at N. N. W.

1764. December.

Wednef. 5.

CHA P. III.

Courfe from Port Defire, in fearch of Pepys' Ifland, and afterwards to the coaft of Patagonia, with a Defcription of the Inhabitants.

A$

S foon as we were out of the bay, we fteered for Pepys' Island, which is faid to lie in latitude 47° S. Our latitude was now 47° 22' S., longitude 65° 49′ W.; Port Defire bore S. 66 W. distant twenty-three leagues; and Pepys' Ifland, according to Halley's Chart, E. N. diftant thirtyfour leagues. The variation here was 19° E.

We continued our course the next day with a pleasant gale Thursday 6: and fine weather, fo that we began to think that this part of the world was not wholly without a fummer. On the 7th, I found myself much farther to the northward than I Friday 7. expected, and therefore fuppofed the fhip's way had been influenced by a current. I had now made eighty degrees casting, which is the distance from the main at which Pepys' Island is placed in Halley's chart, but unhappily we have no certain account of the place. The only person who pretends to have seen it, is Cowley, the account of whofe voyage is now before me; and all he fays of its fituation is, that it lies in latitude 47 S.; for he fays nothing of its longitude: he fays, indeed, that it has a fine harbour; but he adds, that

the

1764. December.

Friday 7.

Saturday 8.

Sunday 9.

Monday Ic.

Tuesday 11.

the wind blew fo hard he could not get into it, and that he therefore ftood away to the fouthward. At this time I alfo was fteering fouthward; for the weather being extremely fine, I could fee very far to the northward of the fituation in which it is laid down. As I fuppofed it must lie to the caftward of us, if indeed it had any existence, I made the Tamar's fignal to fpread early in the afternoon; and as the weather continued to be very clear, we could fee, between us, at least twenty leagues. We fteered S. E. by the compafs, and at night brought to, being by my account in latitude 47° 18′ S. The next morning it blew very hard at N. W. by N. and I ftill thought the island might lie to the eastward; I therefore intended to ftand about thirty leagues that way, and if I found no island, to return into the latitude of 47 again. But a hard gale coming on, with a great sea, I brought to about fix o'clock in the evening under the mainfail; and at fix o'clock the next morning, the wind being at W. S. W. we made fail again under our courfes to the northward. I now judged myself to be about fixteen leagues to the eastward of the track I had run before: Port Defire bore S. 80° 53′ W. distant ninety-four leagues; and in this fituation I faw a great quantity of rock-weed, and many birds. We continued to stand to the northward the next day under our courses, with a hard gale from S. W. to N. W. and a great fea. At night, being in latitude 46° 50 ́S., I wore ship, and flood in to the weftward again, our fhips having spread every day as far as they could be feen by each other: and on the 11th at noon, being now certain that there could be no fuch island as is mentioned by Cowley, and laid down by Halley under the name of Pepys' Ifland, I refolved to ftand in for the main, and take in wood and water, of which both ships were in great want, at the first convenient place I could find,

5

1764.

December.

Tuesday 11.

find, especially as the feafon was advancing very fast, and we had no time to lofe. From this time we continued to haul in for the land as the winds would permit, and kept a look-out for the islands of Sebald de Wert, which, by all the charts we had on board, could not be far from our track: a great number of birds were every day about the ship, and large whales were continually fwimming by her. The weather in general was fine, but very cold, and we all agreed, notwithstanding the hope we had once formed, that the only difference between the middle of fummer here, and the middle of winter in England, lies in the length of the days. On Saturday the 15th, being in latitude 50° 33'S. Saturday 15. longitude 66° 59′ W. we were overtaken about fix in the evening by the hardest gale at S. W. that I was ever in, with a sea ftill higher than any I had feen in going round Cape Horn with Lord Anfon: I expected every moment that it would fill us, our fhip being much too deep waifted for fuch a voyage: it would have been safest to put before it under our bare poles, but our stock of fresh water was not sufficient, and I was afraid of being driven so far off the land as not to be able to recover it before the whole was exhaufted; we therefore lay to under a balanced mizen, and shipped many heavy feas, though we found our skreen bulk-heads of infinite fervice.

The ftorm continued with unabated violence the whole Sunday 16. night, but about eight in the morning, began to fubfide.

At ten, we made fail under our courfes, and continued to

fteer for the land till Tuesday the 18th, when, at four in the Tuesday 18. morning, we faw it from the maft-head. Our latitude was now 51° 8' S. our longitude 71° 4′ W. and Cape Virgin Mary, the north entrance of the Streight of Magellan, bore S. 19° 50' W. diftant nineteen leagues. As we had little or no wind, we could not get in with the land this day, the VOL. I.

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