1767. February.

Friday 20.

About one o'clock the boats returned, having found an anchoring place in a small bay, to which we gave the name of Butler's bay, it having been discovered by Mr. Butler, one of the mates. It lies to the west of Ryder's bay on the fouth fhore of the Streight, which is here about two miles wide. We ran in with the tide which fet faft to the weftward, and anchored in 16 fathom water. The extreams of the bay from W. by N. to N. W. are about a quarter of a mile afunder; a fmall rivulet, at the diftance of fomewhat lefs than two cables length, bore S. W. and Cape Quod N. at the diftance of four miles. At this time the Swallow was at anchor in Island bay on the north hore, at about fix miles diftance.

I now fent all the boats out to found round the ship and in the neighbouring bays; and they returned with an account that they could find no place fit to receive the ship, neither could any fuch place be found between Cape Quod and Cape Notch.

In this place we remained till Friday the 20th, when about noon the clouds gathered very thick to the weftward, and before one it blew a storm, with such rain and hail as we had fcarcely ever feen. We immediately ftruck the yards and top-mafts, and having run out two haufers to a rock, we hove the ship up to it we then let go the fmall bower, and veered away, and brought both cables a-head; at the fame time we carried out two more hausers, and made them fast to two other rocks, making ufe of every expedient in our power to keep the ship steady. The gale continued to increase till fix o'clock in the evening, and to our great aftonishment the fea broke quite over the forecastle in upon the quarter-deck, which, confidering the narrowness of the Streight, and the fmallness of the bay in which we were stationed, might well have been thought impoffible. Our danger here was very great, for if the cables had parted, as we could not run out without a fail, and as we had not room to bring the ship up with any other anchor, we must have been dafhed to pieces in a few minutes, and in fuch a fituation it is highly probable that every foul would immediately have perifhed; however, by eight o'clock the gale was become fomewhat more moderate, and

gradually

1767.

February.

gradually decreasing during the night, we had tolerable weather the next morning. Upon heaving the anchor, we had the fatisfaction to find that our cable Saturd. 21. was found, though our hausers were much rubbed by the rocks, notwithstanding they were parcelled with old hammacoes, and other things. The first thing I did after performing the neceffary operations about the ship, was to fend a boat to the Swallow to enquire how the fared during the gale: the boat returned with an account that she had felt but little of the gale, but that she had been very near being loft, in pushing through the Islands two days before, by the rapidity of the tide that notwithstanding an alteration which had been made in her rudder, the fteered and worked fo ill, that every time they got under way they were. apprehensive that she could never fafely be brought to an anchor again; I was therefore requested, in the name of the captain, to confider that he could be of very little fervice to the expedition, and to direct what I thought would be best for the service. I answered, that as the Lords of the Almiralty had appointed her to accompany the Dolphin, fhe muft continue to do it. as long as it was poffible; that as her condition rendered her a bad failer, I would wait her time, and attend her motions, and that if any difafter should happen to either of us, the other should be ready to afford her fuch affistance as might be in her power.

We continued here eight days, during which time we completed our wood and water, dried our fails, and fent great part of the fhip's company on fhore, to wash their clothes and stretch their legs, which was the more neceffary, as the cold, fnowy, and tempeftuous weather, had confined them too much below. We caught muscles and limpets, and gathered celery and nettles in great abundance. The muscles were the largest we had ever seen, many of them being from five to fix inches long: we caught alfo great plenty of a fine, firm, red fish, not unlike a gurnet, most of which were from four to five pounds weight. At the fame time, we made it part of the employment of every day to try the current, which we found conftantly fetting to the eastward,

The

1767. February.

March. Sunday 1.

The Master having been fent out to look for anchoring places, returned with an account that he could find no shelter, except near the fhore, where it fhould not be fought but in cafes of the moft preffing neceffity. He landed upon a large island on the north fide of Snow found, and being almost perished with cold, the first thing he did was to make a large fire, with fome fmall trees he found upon the spot. He then climbed one of the rocky mountains, with Mr. Pickerfgill, a midshipman, and one of the feamen, to take a view of the Streight and the dismal regions that furround it. He found the entrance of the Sound to be full as broad as several parts of the Streight, and to grow but very little narrower, for feveral miles inland on the Terra del Fuego fide. The country on the fouth side of it was still more dreary and horrid than any he had yet feen: it confifted of craggy mountains, much higher than the clouds, that were altogether naked from the bafe to the fummit, there not being a fingle shrub, nor even a blade of grafs, to be feen upon them; nor were the valleys between them lefs defolate, being entirely covered with deep beds of fnow, except here and there where it had been washed away, or converted into ice, by the torrents which were precipitated from the fiffures and crags of the mountain above, where the fnow had been diffolved; and even these vallies, in the patches that were free from fnow, were as deftitute of verdure as the rocks between which they lay.

On Sunday the first of March, at half an hour after four o'clock in the morning, we faw the Swallow under fail, on the north fhore of Cape Quod. At feven we weighed, and stood out of Butler's bay, but it falling calm foon afterwards, the boats were obliged to take the vessel in tow, having with much difficulty kept clear of the rocks: the paffage being very narrow, we fent the boats, about noon, to feek for anchorage on the north shore. At this time, Cape Notch bore W. by N. N. diftant between three and four leagues, and Cape Quod E. N. diftant three leagues. 플

About three o'clock in the afternoon, there being little wind, we anchored; with the Swallow, under the

north

north fhore, in a small bay, where there is a high, fteep rocky mountain, the top of which refembles the head of a lion, for which reason we called the bay Lion's Cove. We had here 40 fathom, with deep water close to the shore, and at half a cable's length without the ship, no ground. We fent the boats to the weftward in fearch of anchoring places, and at midnight they returned with an account that there was an indifferent bay at the distance of about four miles, and that Goodluck bay was three leagues to the westward.

1767.

March.

At half an hour after 12 the next day, the wind Monday 2. being northerly, we made fail from Lion's cove, and at five anchored in Goodluck bay, at the distance of about half a cable's length from the rocks, in 28 fathom water. A rocky island at the weft extremity of the bay bore N. W. by W. distant about a cable's length and a half, and a low point, which makes the eaftern extremity of the bay, bore E. S. E. diftant about a mile. Between this point and the ship, there were many thoals, and in the bottom of the bay two rocks, the largest of which bore N. E. by N. the smallest N. by E. From these rocks fhoals run out to the S. E. which may be known by the weeds that are upon them; the ship was within a cables length of them; when she fwung with her stern in-shore, we had 16 fathom, with coral rock; when she swung off, we had 50 fathom, with fandy ground. Cape Notch bore from us W. by S W. diftant about one league; and in the intermediate space there was a large lagoon which we could not found, the wind blowing too hard all the while we lay here. After we had moored the ship, we sent two boats to affift the Swallow, and one to look out for anchorage beyond Cape Notch. The boats, that were sent to affift the Swallow, towed her into a fmall bay, where, as the wind was foutherly, and blew fresh, she was in great danger, for the cove was not only small, but full of rocks, and open to the fouth-easterly winds.

All the day following, and all the night, we had Tuesday 3hard gales, with a great fea, and much hail and rain.

The next morning we had gufts fo violent, that it wednes was impoffible to stand the deck; they brought whole fheets of water all the way from Cape Notch, which

was

1767. March.

was a league diftant, quite over the deck. They did not last more than a minute, but were so frequent, that the cables were kept in a constant strain, and there was the greatest reason to fear that they would give way. It was a general opinion that the Swallow could not poffibly ride it out, and fome of the men were fo ftrongly prepoffeffed with the notion of her being loft, that they fancied they faw fome of her people coming over the rocks towards our fhip. The weather continued fo Saturday 7. bad till Saturday the feventh, that we could fend no boat to enquire after her; but the gale being then more moderate, a boat was dispatched about four o'clock in the morning, which, about the fame hour in the afternoon, returned with an account that the ship was fafe, but that the fatigue of the people had been incredible, the whole crew having been upon the deck near three days and three nights. At midnight the gufts returned, though not with equal violence, with hail, fleet and fnow. The weather being now extremely cold, Sunday 8. and the people never dry, I got up the next morning eleven bales of thick woollen stuff, called Fearnought, which is provided by the government, and fet all the taylors to work to make them into jackets, of which every man in the ship had one.

Sunday 15.

I ordered thefe jackets, to be made very large, allowing, one with another, two yards and thirty-four inches of the cloth to each jacket. I fent alfo seven bales of the fame cloth to the Swallow, which made every man on board a jacket of the fame kind; and I cut up three bales of finer cloth, and made jackets for the officers of both ships, which I had the pleasure to find were very acceptable.

In this fituation we were obliged to continue a week, during which time, I put both my own ship, and the Swallow, upon two thirds allowance, except brandy; but continued the breakfast as long as greens and water were plenty.

On Sunday the 15th, about noon we faw the Swallow under fail, and it being calm, we fent our launch to affist her. In the evening the launch returned, having towed her into a very good harbour on the fouth fhore, oppofite to where we lay. The account that

we