1767. April,

Wednef. 15.

the fea run more regularly from the S. W. and the wind foon after coming from S. S. W. to S.S. E. we had by noon got a pretty good offing, about nine leagues from Cape Victory, which is on the north fhore. Thus we cleared the western entrance of this Streight, which, in my opinion, is too dangerous for navigation; a deliverance which happened in the very crisis of our fate, for almost immediately afterwards the wind came again to the S. W. and if it had continued in that quarter, our deftruction would have been inevitable.

T

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

The Paffage from Cape Pillar, at the Western Entrance of the Streight of Magellan, to Mafafuero; with fome Account of that Island.

I

TOOK my departure from Cape Pillar, which I make to lie in the latitude of 52° 45′ S., and in the longitude 75° Io' W. of the meridian of London, and as soon as I got clear of the Streight, fteered to the northward along the coast of Chili. Upon examining what quantity of fresh water we had now on board, I found that it amounted only to between four and five and twenty tons, which I thought not fufficient for fo long a voyage as was probably before us; I therefore hauled to the northward, intending to make the island of Juan Fernandes, or Mafafuero, that we might increase our flock before we failed to the weftward.

1767. April.

Wednef. 15.

In the middle of the night of the 16th, we had the wind Thursday 16. first to the S. S. E. and then to the S. E. with which we kept away N. W. and N. N. W. in high fpirits, hoping that in a fhort time we should be in a more temperate climate: we had the misfortune, however, very foon to find ourselves disappointed, for on the 18th, the wind came to the N. N. W. Saturday 18. and blew directly from the point upon which we were fteering. We had now got about a hundred leagues from the Streight's mouth; our latitude was 48° 39′ S., and we were, by account, 4° 33′ W. of Cape Pillar; but from this time, till the 8th of May, the wind continued unfavourable, and blew a continued ftorm, with fudden gufts still more

violent,

1767. violent, and much rain and hail, or rather fragments of half April. melted ice: at intervals also we had thunder and lightning, more dreadful than all the past, and a sea which frequently laid the whole veffel under water.

Saturday 18.

Monday 27.

From the time of our clearing the Streight, and during our paffage along this coaft, we faw a great number of fea birds, particularly albatroffes, gannets, fheerwaters, and a thick lumpish bird, about as big as a large pigeon, which the failors call a Cape of Good Hope hen: they are of a dark brown or blackish colour, and are therefore fometimes called the black gull: we faw also a great many pintado birds, of nearly the fame fize, which are prettily spotted with black and white, and constantly on the wing, though they frequently appear as if they were walking upon the water, like the peterels, to which failors have given the name of Mother Carey's chickens; and we faw alfo many of these.

In the evening of Monday the 27th, which was very dark, as we were standing to the weftward under our courfes, and a close reefed top-fail, the wind, in a hard squall, fuddenly shifted, and took the vessel right a-head; the violent jerk with which the fails were inftantly thrown a-back, was very near carrying the mafts away by the board, and oversetting the ship: the fails being at this time extremely wet, and the gale in the highest degree violent, they clung so fast to the mafts and rigging, that it was fcarcely poffible to get them. either up or down; yet by the dexterous activity of our people, we got the main-fail up, clewed up the main topfail, and got the fhip's head round without receiving much damage. The violence of the wind continued feveral hours, but before morning it veered again to the N. W. and conWednef. 29. tinued in that quarter till the afternoon of the 29th, when

it

April.

Wednef. 29.

May

Friday 1.

it died away, and we had a dead calm for fix hours. During 1767. this time we had a high fea, which ran in great confufion from all quarters, and broke againft the fhip in a strange manner, making her roll with fo violent and fudden a motion, that I expected every moment to lose our mafts. The wind afterwards sprung up at W. S. W. which was fair, and we carried all the fail we could fet to make the moft of it. It blew very hard in this direction, with heavy rain for a few hours, but by noon on the 30th, it returned to its Thursday go. usual quarter, the N. W. and was fo violent as to bring us again under our courfes, there being at the fame time a prodigious fwell, which frequently broke over us. At five o'clock the next morning, as we were lying to under the reefed main-fail and balanced mizen, a vast fea broke over the quarter where the fhip's oars were lafhed, and carried away fix of them, with the weather-cloth; it alfo broke the mizen gaff clofe where the fail was reefed, and the iron ftrap of one of the main dead eyes, laying the whole veffel for fome time under water we were however fortunate enough to haul up the main fail without fplitting, though it blew a hurricane, and a deluge of rain, or rather of half melted ice, at the fame time poured down upon us. The wind foon after fhifted again from N W. to S.W. and for about an hour blew, if poffible, flronger than ever. This wind made the fhip come up with her head right against the vaft fea which the north west wind had raised, and at every pitch which she made against it, the end of the bowsprit was under water, and the furge broke over the forecaftle as far aft as the main-maft, in the fame manner as it would have broke over a rock, fo that there was the greateft reafon to apprehend she would founder. With all her defects she was indeed a good fea boat, and if fhe had not, it would have been impoffible for her to have outlived this ftorm, in which,

as

1767. May.

Friday 1.

Saturday 2.

Sunday 3.

Monday 4.

Tuesday 5.

as well as on feveral other occafions, we experienced the benefit of the bulk-heads which we had fixed on the fore-part of the half-deck, and to the after-part of the forecastle.

Notwithstanding this wind was fair, we durft not venture to put the fhip before it, for if in wearing, any of these enormous seas had broken on her fide, it would inevitably have carried away all before it. After fome time, however, it became more moderate, and we then got up our yards and made fail, fteering N. by W.; and now the men having been up all night, and being wet to the skin, I ordered every one of them a dram.

By the next morning, the 2d of May, the wind came again to the N.W. and N. N.W. but by this time we had got down the broken mizen gaff, repaired it as well as we could, got it up again in its place, and bent the fail to it; but we now moft fenfibly felt the want of a forge and iron.

On the 3d, at day-break, we found the rudder-chain broken, and upon this occafion we again moft feelingly regretted the want of a forge; we made, however, the best fhift we could, and the next day, the weather being more moderate, though the wind was ftill contrary, we repaired our rigging, and the carpenters fixed a new dead eye where the old one had been broken; the fail-maker alfo was bufy in mending the fails that had been split.

On the 5th, we were again brought under our courses by a hurricane from the N. by W. and N.N.W. and the ship was toffed about with fuch violence that we had no command of her. During this ftorm, two of our chain-plates were broken, and we continued toiling in a confused hollow fea till midnight, when a light gale fprung up at N.W. which Wednef. 6. foon blew very hard; but at two in the morning, we were again taken right a-head by a fudden and violent fquall at

9

weft,