1764. cutter repaired, which had been hauled up upon the beach for that purpose. November Tuesday 27. On the 27th, fome of our people, who had been afhore on the north fide of the bay to try for more guanicoes, found the skull and bones of a man, which they brought off with them, and one young guanicoe alive, which we all agreed was one of the most beautiful creatures we had ever feen it foon grew very tame, and would fuck our fingers like a calf; but, notwithstanding all our care and contrivances to feed it, it died in a few days. In the afternoon of this day it blew fo hard that I was obliged to keep a confiderable number of hands continually by the sheet anchor, as there was too much reafon to fear that our cables would part, which however did not happen. In the mean time, fome of our people that were on fhore with the carpenters, who were repairing the cutter on the fouth fide of the bay, found two more fprings of tolerable water about two miles from the beach, in a direct line from the ship's station. To these springs I fent twenty hands early in the Wednef 28. morning with some small cafks called Barecas, and in a few turns they brought on board a tun of water, of which we began to be in great want. the mean time, I went myself about twelve miles up the river in my boat, and the weather then growing bad, I went on fhore: the river, as far as I could fee, was very broad; there were in it a number of iflands, 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 In the 1764. November. the islands that I went on fhore, and I found there fuch a number of birds, that when they rofe they literally darkened the fky, and we could not walk Wednef, 28. a step without treading upon their eggs. As they kept hovering over our heads at a little diftance, the men knocked down many of them with ftones and sticks, and carried off several hundreds of their eggs. After fome time I left the ifland and landed upon the main, where our men dreffed 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 seventy together: they would not however fuffer us to approach them, but stood and gazed at us from the hills. In this excurfion the furgeon, who was of my party, fhot a tyger cat, a fmall but very fierce animal; for though it was much wounded, it maintained a very fharp conteft with my dog for a confiderable time before it was killed. On On the 29th, we completed our ballaft, which Thurid, 29. the strength of the tide, and the conftant gales of wind rendered a very difficult and laborious task; we also got on board another ton of water. the morning of the 30th, the weather was fo bad Friday 30. 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 November. 1764. had no fire-arms, feeing the beaft treat them with as much contemptuous neglect as the lion did the Friday 30. 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 rofe and walked away. December. On the first 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 diftant about two miles and an half; but I fixed a mark near them, that they might be ftill more easily found than by their bearings. During our stay in this harbour, we founded every part of it with great care, as high as a fhip could go, and found that there is no danger but what may be feen at low water; fo that now fresh water is found, though at some distance from the beach, it would be a very convenient place for fhips 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 fea-pies, befides many others for which we have no name. Here is alfo fuch plenty of excellent muffels, that a boat may be loaded with them every time it is low water. Wood indeed is fcarce; December. fcarce; however in fome parts of this coaft there 1764. are bushes, which in a cafe of neceffity might produce a tolerable fupply of fuel. On Wednesday the 5th of December, I un- Wednes. 5, moored, in order to get out, but the best bower came up foul, and before we could heave short upon the fmall bower, the tide of ebb made ftrong; for at this place flack water scarcely continues ten minutes; fo that we were obliged to wait till it fhould be low water. Between five and fix in the evening, we weighed, and fteered out E. N. E. with a fresh gale at N. N. W. CHAP. C 1764. December. CHA P. III. Courfe from Port Defire, in fearch of Pepys' Iland, and afterwards to the coaft of Patagonia, with a Defcription of the Inhabitants. A S foon as we were out of the bay, we steered for Pepys' Inland, which is faid to lie in Wednef. 5. 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' Island, according to Halley's Chart, E. N. diftant thirty-four leagues. The variation here was Thursday 6. Friday 7. 19° E. 3 We continued our courfe the next day with a pleasant gale 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 expected, and therefore fuppofed the fhip's way had been influenced by a current. I had now made eighty degrees eating, which is the distance from the main at which Pepys' Ifland 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 says, indeed, that it has a fine harbour; but he adds, that the |