1765. March. feven, we had a very hard fquall, and the weather being then exceedingly thick, we fuddenly perceived a reef of rocks clofe under our lce bow, upon which the fea broke Sunday 10. very high: we had but just time to tack clear of them, and if the fhip had miffed ftays, every foul on board muft inevitably have perifhed. These rocks lie at a great distance from the fouth fhore, and are about three leagues to the north of Cape Upright. At nine, the weather cleared a little, and we saw the entrance of Long Reach, upon which we bore away, keeping nearest the south fhore, in hopes of finding an anchoring-place. At ten, we had ftrong gales and thick weather, with hard rain, and at noon, we were again abreast of Cape Monday, but could find no anchoring-place, which, however, we continued to feek, ftill fteering along the south fhore, and were foon after joined by the Tamar, who had been fix or feven leagues to the eastward of us all night. At fix in the evening, we anchored in a deep bay, about three leagues to the eastward of Cape Monday: we let go the anchor in five and twenty fathom, near an island in the bottom of the bay; but before we could bring up the ship, we were driven off, and the anchor took the ground in about fifty fathom. The extream points of the bay bore from N. W. to N. E. by E. and the island W. S.: we veered to a whole cable, and the anchor was about a cable's length from the nearest fhore. In the night, we had fresh gales wefterly, with fudden fqualls and hard rain; but in the morning, the weather became more moderate, though it Monday 11. was ftill thick, and the rain continued. As a great fwell fet into this place, and broke very high upon the rocks, near which we lay, I got up the anchor, and warped the ship to a bank where the Tamar was riding: we let go our anchor in fourteen fathom, and moored with the ftream anchor to the eastward, in forty-five fathom. In the bottom of this 1 2 bay 1765. March. Monday 11. bay there is a bason, at the entrance of which there is but three fathom and an half at low water, but within there is ten fathom, and room enough for fix or feven fail to lie where no wind can hurt them. We continued here till Friday the 15th, and during all that time had one continued ftorm, with impenetrable fogs, and Tuesday 12. inceffant rain. On the 12th, I fent out the boat, with an officer, to look for harbours on the fouthern fhore: the boat Thursday 14. was abfent till the 14th, and then returned, with an account that there were five bays between the fhip's ftation and Cape Upright, where we might anchor in great safety. The officer told me, that near Cape Upright he had fallen in with a few Indians, who had given him a dog, and that one of the women had offered him a child which was fucking at her breaft. It is fcarcely neceffary to say that he refused it, but the offer feems to degrade thefe poor forlorn favages more than any thing in their appearance or manner of life: it must be a strange depravity of nature that leaves them deftitute of affection for their offspring, or a most deplorable fituation that impreffes neceffities upon them by which it is furmounted. Some hills, which, when we first came to this place, had no fnow upon them, were now covered, and the winter of this dreary and inhofpitable region feemed to have fet in at once: the poor feamen not only fuffered much by the cold, but had scarcely ever a dry thread about them: I therefore distributed among the crews of both the fhips, not. excepting the officers, two bales of a thick woollen ftuff, called Fearnought, which is provided by the government, so that every body on board had now a warm jacket, which at this time was found both comfortable and falutary. Friday 15. At eight o'clock in the morning of the 15th, we weighed and made fail, and at three o'clock in the afternoon, we were 1765. March. once more abreast of Cape Monday, and at five, we anchored in a bay on the east fide of it. The pitch of the Cape bore N. W. diftant half a mile, and the extream points of the bay Friday 15. from E. to N. by W. We lay at about half a cable's length from the nearest fhore, which was a low ifland between the ship and the Cape. At fix o'clock the next morning, we weighed, and found Saturday 16. that the palm was gone from the small bower anchor. The wind was at W. N. W. with hard rain: at eight o'clock, we found a strong current fetting us to the eastward, and at noon, Cape Monday bore W. N. W. diftant two miles. The Tamar being to windward of us, fetched into the bay, and anchored again. We continued to lose ground upon every tack, and therefore, at two o'clock, anchored upon the fouthern fhore in fixteen fathom, about five miles to the eastward of Cape Monday. At three, however, I weighed again, for the boat having founded round the fhip, found the ground rocky. The wind was N. W. with hard rain, and we continued working all the rest of the day, and all night, every man on board being upon deck the whole time, and every one wet to the fkin, for the rain, or rather fheets of water that came down, did not cease a moment. In the morning, we had again the mortification to find Sunday 17. that, notwithstanding all our labour, we had loft ground upon every tack, in confequence of the current, which continued to fet with great force to the eastward. At eight o'clock, we bore away, and at nine, anchored in the fame bay from which we failed on the 15th. Monday 18. The wind continued W. and W. N. W. without any tide to the westward, all the 18th and 19th, and the weather was exceedingly bad, with hard fqualls and heavy rain. In the Tuesday 19. mean time I had fent an officer with a boat to found a bay VOL. I. L on 1765. March. Wednef. 20. on the north shore, but he found no anchorage in it. On the 20th, at fix o'clock in the morning, a hard fquall coming. on, the ship drove, and brought the anchor off the bank intoforty fathom, but by heaving up the bower, and carrying out the kedge anchor, we got the fhip on the bank again. Thursday 21. At eight, the day following, though the wind was from W. N. W. to S. W. we weighed, and once more stood out of the bay; the current ftill fet very ftrongly to the eastward, but at noon, we found that we had gained about a mile and a half in a contrary direction. The wind now became variable, from S. W. to N. W. and at five in the afternoon, the fhip had gained about four miles to the weftward; but not being able to find an anchoring-place, and the wind dying away, we drove again very fast to the eastward with the current. At fix, however, we anchored in forty fathom, with very good ground, in a bay about two miles to the weftward of that from which we failed in the morning. A fwell rolled in here all night, fo that our fituation was by no means defirable, and therefore, although the wind was still at W. S. W. we weighed and made fail about eight o'clock the nextday: we had likewise inceffant rain, fo that the people were continually wet, which was a great aggravation of their fatigue; yet they were ftill cheerful, and, what was yet lefs to be expected, ftill healthy. This day, to our great joy, we found the current fetting to the weftward, and we gained ground very fast.. At fix in the evening, we anchored in the bay on the east fide of Cape Monday, where the Tamar lay in eighteen fathom, the pitch of the Cape bearing W. by N. distant half a mile. We found this place very safe, the ground being excellent, and there being room enough for two or three fhips of the line to moor. Friday 22. CHAP. CHA P. VII. The Paffage from Cape Monday, in the Streight of Magellan, into the South Seas; with fome general Remarks on the Navigation of that Streight. A T eight the next morning we weighed, and foon after 1765. Marche a fwell rolled in upon us as I have feldom feen. At four Saturday 23. o'clock in the afternoon, we anchored in a very good bay, with a deep found at the bottom, by which it may be known, about a league to the eastward of Cape Upright, in fourteen fathom. The extream point of the bay bore from N. W. to N. E. by E. and Cape Upright W. N. W. about a cable's length to the eastward of a low island which makes the bay. At three o'clock in the morning of the 24th, I fent a boat, Sunday 24 with an officer from each ship, to look for anchoring-places to the weftward; but at four in the afternoon they returned without having been able to get round Cape Upright. 1 The next morning I fent the boats again to the weftward, Monday 25. and about fix in the evening they returned, having been about four leagues, and found two anchoring-places, but neither of them were very good. We made fail, however, about eight in the forenoon of the next day, and at three, Tuesday 26. Cape Upright bore E. S. E. diftant about three leagues, a remarkable cape on the north fhore at the fame time bearing N. E. diftant four or five miles. This cape, which is very lofty and steep, lies N. N. W. by compass from Cape Upright, |