January. Enter the Le Maire. the Streight of Le Maire, and the indraught of 1769. the Streight of Magellan *. Having continued to range the coaft, on the 14th we entered the Streight of Le Maire; but the tide turning against us, drove us out with great violence, and raised such a fea off Cape St, Deigo, that the waves had exactly the fame ap pearance as they would have had if they had broke over a ledge of rocks; and when the ship was in this torrent, fhe frequently pitched, fo that the bowfprit was under water. About noon, we got under the land between Cape St. Deigo and Cape St. Vincent, where I intended to have anchored; but finding the ground every where hard and rocky, and shallowing from thirty to twelve fathoms, I fent the master to examine a little cove which lay at a small diftance to the eastward of Cape St. Vincent. When he returned, he reported, that there was anchorage in four fathom, and a good bottom, close to the eastward of the firft bluff point, on the east of Cape St. Vincent, at the very entrance * The celebrated navigator who discovered this Streight was a native of Portugal, and his name, in the language of his country, was Fernando de Magalbaens; the Spaniards call him Hernando Magalhanes, and the French Magellan, which is the orthography that has been generally adopted: a gentleman, the fifth in defcent from this great adventurer, is now living in or near London, and communicated the true name of his anceftor to Mr. Banks, with a requeft that it might be inferted in this work. of 1760. January. of the cove, to which I gave the name of VINCENT's Bay: before this anchoring ground, howSaturd. 14. ever, lay feveral rocky ledges, that were covered with fea-weed; but I was told that there was not less than eight and nine fathom over all of them. It will probably be thought strange, that where weeds, which grow at the bottom, appear above the furface, there fhould be this depth of water; but the weeds which grow upon rocky ground in these countries, and which always diftinguish it from fand and ooze, are of an enormous fize. The leaves are four feet long, and fome of the stalks, though not thicker than a man's thumb, above one hundred and twenty: Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander examined fome of them, over which we founded and had fourteen fathom, which is eighty-four feet; and, as they made a very acute angle with the bottom, they were thought to be at leaft one half longer: the foot stalks were fwelled into an air veffel, and Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander called this plant Fucus giganteus. Upon the report of the master, I ftood in with the ship; but not trufting implicitly to his intelligence, I continued to found, and found but four fathom upon the first ledge that I went over; concluding, therefore, that I could not anchor here without risk, I determined to feek fome port in the Streight, where I might get on board fuch wood and water as we wanted. Mr. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, however, being very deûrous to go on fhore, I fent a boat with them and their people, while I kept plying as near as poffible with the ship. Having been on fhore four hours, they returned about nine in the evening, with above an hundred different plants and flowers, all of them wholly unknown to the botanists of Europe. They found the country about the bay to be in general flat, the bottom of it in particular was a plain, covered with grafs, which might easily have been made into a large quantity of hay; they found alfo abundance of good wood and water, and fowl in great plenty. Among other things, of which Nature has been liberal in this place, is Winter's bark, Winteranea aromatica; which may easily be known by its broad leaf, shaped like the laurel, of a light green colour without, and inclining to blue within; the bark is easily ftripped with a bone or a stick, and its virtues are well known: it may be used for culinary purposes as a fpice, and is not lefs pleasant than wholesome here is alfo plenty of wild celery and fcurvy-grafs. The trees are chiefly of one kind, a fpecies of the birch, called Betula antarctica; the stem is from thirty to forty feet long, and from two to three feet in diameter, so that in a cafe of neceffity they might poffibly fupply a fhip with top-mafts: they are a light white wood, bear a fmall leaf, and cleave very VOL. II. ftraight. T 1769. January, Saturd, 14. 1769. ftraight, Cranberries were also found here in great plenty, both white and red. January. Saturd. 14. The perfons who landed faw none of the inhabitants, but fell in with two of their deferted huts, one in a thick wood, and the other clofe by the beach. Having taken the boat on board, I made fail Sunday 15. into the Streight, and at three in the morning of the 15th, I anchored in twelve fathom and an half, upon coral rocks, before a small cove, which we took for Port Maurice, at the distance of about half a mile from the fhore. Two of the natives came down to the beach, expecting us to land; but this fpot afforded fo little fhelter, that I at length determined not to examine it: I therefore got under fail again about ten o'clock, and the favages retired into the woods. At two o'clock, we anchored in the bay of Good Succefs; and after dinner I went on fhore, accompanied by Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander, to look for a watering-place, and fpeak to the Indians, feveral of whom had come in fight. We landed on the ftarboard side of the bay near fome rocks, which made fmooth water and good landing; thirty or forty of the Indians foon made their appearance at the end of a fandy beach on the other fide of the bay, but seeing our number, which was ten or twelve, they retreated. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander then advanced about one hundred yards before us, 1769. January. upon which two of the Indians returned, and, having advanced fome paces towards them, sat down; as foon as they came up, the Indians rofe, Saturd, 15. and each of them having a small stick in his hand threw it away, in a direction both from themselves and the ftrangers, which was confidered as the renunciation of weapons in token of peace; they then walked briskly towards their companions, who had halted at about fifty yards behind them, and beckoned the gentlemen 'to follow, which they did. They were received with many uncouth signs of friendship; and, in return, they diftributed among them. fome beads and ribbons, which had been brought on shore for that purpose, and with which they were greatly delighted. A mutual confidence and good-will being thus produced, our parties joined; the conversation, such as it was, became general; and three of them accompanied us back to the fhip. When they came on board, one of them, whom we took to be a priest, performed much the fame ceremonies which M. Bougainville defcribes, and fuppofes to be an exorcifm. When he was introduced into a new part of the fhip, or when any thing that he had not seen before caught, his attention, he fhouted with all his force for fome minutes, without directing his voice either to us or his companions. They eat fome bread and fome beef, but not apparently with much pleasure, though fuch |