1767. May. ing that the gufts, or flaws, made us lie at a confiderable distance from the land, fhe went in Sunday 10. again. We then opened West Bay, on the east part of which, clofe to the fea fide, is a fmall houfe, which I took for a guard-house, and two pieces of cannon mounted upon their carriages, without any works about them. We now wore, and stood again for Cumberland Bay, but as foon as we opened it, the boat again put off, and made towards us: as the hard gufts would not permit us to come any nearer to the land than before, we ftood along it to the eastward, the boat ftill making after us till she was very far out of the bay at length it grew dark, and we loft fight of her, upon which we made all the fail we could to the eastward. Tuesday 12. During all this time I hoifted no colours, having none but English on board, which at this time I did not think it proper to fhew. As I was disappointed of wood and water at this place, and of the refreshments, of which, after the dangers and fatigue of our voyage through the Streight, and our passage from it, we stood in the most preffing need, I made all the fail I could for the island of Masafuero. On the 12th of May we arrived off the fouth eaftermoft part of it, but it blowing hard, with a great fea, we did not dare to come near it on this fide, and therefore went round to the west fide, where, in the evening, we caft anchor upon an an excellent bank, fit to receive a fleet of ships, which, in the fummer, might ride here with great advantage. I fent out both the boats to endeavour to get fome water, but they found it impoffible to land, for the beach is rocky, and the furf at this time was fo great, that the swimmers could not get through the breakers: this was the more mortifying, as we faw a fine run of fresh water from the fhip, with plenty of trees fit for fire-wood, and a great number of goats upon the hills. 1767. May. Tuesday 12. The next morning, as foon as it was light, I Wednef. 13. fent the boats out again, to examine any place where they could get on fhore. They returned with a few cafks of water, which they had filled. at a small rill, and reported, that the wind being at S. E. blew fo ftrong on the eaft fide of the island, and raised so great a fea, that they could not come near the shore. We continued here till the 15th, at day- Friday 15. break, and then, the weather becoming more mcderate, we weighed, and in the evening, just at fun-fet, we anchored on the eaft fide of the ifland, in the fame place where Commodore Byron had anchored about two years before. We loft no time, but immediately got off fifteen casks of water, and fent a number of men on shore with others, that were empty, to be filled against the next morning, and a strong party to cut wood but it happened that about two o'clock 5 1767. May. Saturd. 16. o'clock in the morning a hard gale of wind came on from the N. W. with violent gufts from the fhore, which drove us off the bank, though we had two anchors a-head, which were in the utmost danger of being loft; we got them up, however, with great difficulty, and immediately fet the fails, and worked under the lee of the island, keeping as near the shore as we could; the weather foon afterwards became more moderate, so that we could carry double reefed top-fails; we had also very smooth water, yet we could not make the ship tack, and were forced to wear her every time we wanted to go about. At day-break, though we were at a good diftance from the fhore, I fent the cutter to get off a load of water, before the furf fhould be fo great upon the beach as to prevent her landing. About ten o'clock, the wind came to the N. N. E. which enabled us to get within a little diftance of the watering-place, and we might have recovered our anchoring ground upon the bank from which we had been driven, but the weather had fo bad an appearance, and the gale freshened so fast, that we did not think it prudent to venture: we brought to, however, as near the shore as poffible, for the advantage of smooth water to unload the cutter, which foon after came along-fide with twelve casks of water. As foon as we had taken thefe on board, I fent the 1767. May. the cutter again for another freight, and as we were at a very little distance from land, I ventured to send our long boat, a clumfy, heavy, Saturday 16. four-oared veffel, with provifions for the people on shore, and orders to bring back a load of water, if he could get it: as foon as these boats. were dispatched, we made a tack off to keep our ground. At noon it blew hard, with heavy rain and thick weather, and at one, as we were standing in again, we faw the boats running along the fhore, for the lee-part of the island, this fide being open to the wind; we therefore followed them, and brought to as near the shore as poffible, to favour their coming on board: they presently made towards us, and we hoifted them in, but the sea was now rifen so high, that in doing it they received confiderable damage, and we foon learnt that they found the surf fo great as not to be able even to land their empty water cafks. We continued to lie to, under a balanced mizen, off the lee-part of the island all the afternoon, and although all hands had been conftantly employed ever fince the ship had been driven off her anchoring-ground, the carpenters worked all night in repairing the boats. At four o'clock in the morning, the island bore west of us, being four leagues diftant, and right to windward: we had now a fine gale and fmooth water, and about ten o'clock we fetched very near to the fouth part of it, and with the Sunday 17. help May. Sunday 17. 1767. help of the boat made the ship tack. As it was not probable that with fuch a veffel we could regain the anchoring-ground, I took advantage of our being fo near the shore, though at a good distance from the watering-place, to fend the cutter for another load. In the mean time I stood on and off with the fhip, and about four o'clock in the afternoon the cutter brought her freight of water on board. I inquired of the lieutenant after the people on fhore, and he told me, that the violent rain which had fallen in the night, had fuddenly brought down fuch torrents of water through the hollow or gully where they had taken up their station, that they were in the utmost danger of being swept away before it, and though with great difficulty they faved themselves, feveral of the casks were entirely loft. It was now too late for the boat to make another turn to the place where we had hitherto got our water; but Mr. Erafmus Gower, the lieutenant, whofe diligence and abi lity in all our dangers and distress I cannot fufficiently commend, having, as he returned with the cutter, obferved that many runs of water had been made by the night's rain, on that part of the inland which was nearest to us, and knowing how impatient I was of delay, offered to go thither with the boat, and fill as many cafks as fhe could bring back. I gladly accepted this offer, Mr. Gower went away in the boat, and in the |