was for a while obliterated by the joy of our escape from those that were past.

From the 16th, when we were firft driven from our anchoring-ground, to this time, we fuffered an uninterrupted series of danger, fatigue, and misfortunes. The fship worked and failed very ill, the weather was dark and tempestuous, with thunder, lightning, and rain, and the boats, which I was obliged to keep always employed, even when we were under fail, to procure us water, were in continual danger of being loft, as well by the hard gales which conftantly blew, as by the fudden gufts which frequently rufhed upon us with a violence that is fcarcely to be conceived. This distress was the more fevere as it was unexpected, for I had experienced very different weather in these parts about two years before with Commodore Byron. It has generally been thought, that upon this coaft the winds are conftantly from the S. to the S. W. though Frazier mentions his having had ftrong gales and high feas from the N. N. W. and N. W. quarter, which was unhappily my cafe.

Having once more got my people and boats fafe on board, I made fail from this turbulent climate, and thought myself fortunate not to have left any thing behind me except the wood, which our people had cut for firing.

The island of Mafafuero lies in latitude 33° 45′ S., longitude 80° 46' W. of London. Its fituation is weft of Juan Fernandes, both being nearly in the fame latitude, and by the globe, it is diftant about thirty-one leagues. It is very high and mountainous, and at a distance appears like one hill or rock: it is of a triangular form, and about feven or eight leagues in circumference. The fouth part, which we faw when we first made the island, at the distance of three and twenty leagues,

1767.

May.

is

1767. May.

is much the highest: on the north end there are several spots of clear ground, which perhaps might admit of cultivation.

The author of the account of Lord Anfon's voyage mentions only one part of this ifland as affording anchorage, which is on the north fide, and in deep water, but we saw no part where there was not anchorage: on the west side in particular there is anchorage at about a mile from the fhore in twenty fathom, and at about two miles and a half in forty, and forty-five fathom, with a fine black fand at the bottom. This author also says, that "there is a reef of rocks running off the eastern point of the island about two miles in length, which may be seen by the fea's breaking over them;" but in this he is mistaken, there is no reef of rocks, or fhoal running off the eastern point, but there is a reef of rocks and fand running off the western fide, near the fouth end of it. He is alfo miftaken as to the diftance of this ifland from Juan Fernandes, and its direction, for he says the distance is twenty-two leagues, and the direction W. by S., but we found the distance nearly one-third more, and the direction is due weft, for, as I have before observed, the latitude of both islands is nearly the fame. The goats that he mentions we found upon it in the fame abundance, and equally eafy to be caught.

On the fouth-west point of the island there is a remarkable rock, with a hole in it, which is a good mark to come to an anchor on the western side, where there is the beft bank of any about the place. About a mile and a half to the northward of this hole, there is a low point of land, and from this point runs the reef that has been juft mentioned, in the direction of W. by S. to the distance of about three quarters of a mile, where the fea continually breaks upon it. To anchor,