1767.

April.

Sund. 5.

Friday 10.

Satur. II.

fhore for wood and water.

The Indians, who were in the canoes, kept their eyes fixed upon the boat while fhe was manning, and the moment fhe put off from the fhip, they called out with great vociferation to those that were on board, who seemed to be much alarmed, and haftily handing down the children, leaped into their canoes, without uttering a word. None of us could guess at the cause of this fudden emotion, but we faw the men in the canoes pull after the boat with all their might, hallooing and fhouting with great appearance of perturbation and diftrefs. The boat outrowed them, and when she came near the fhore, the people on board discovered fome women gathering mufcles among the rocks. This at once explained the mystery; the poor Indians were afraid that the ftrangers, either by force or favour, fhould violate the prerogative of a husband, of which they seemed to be more jealous than the natives of fome other countries, who in their appearance are less savage and fordid. Our people, to make them eafy, immediately lay upon their oars, and fuffered the canoes to pass them. The Indians, however, ftill continued to call out to their women, till they took the alarm and ran out of fight, and as foon as they got to land, drew their canoes upon the beach, and followed them with the utmost expedition.

We continued daily to gather muscles till the 5th, when several of the people being seized with fluxes, the furgeon defired that no more muscles might be brought into the ship.

The weather being ftill tempeftuous and unfettled, we remained at anchor till 10 o'clock in the morning of Friday the 10th, and then, in company with the Swallow, we made fail. At noon, Cape Providence bore N. N. W. diftant four or five miles; at four in the afternoon Cape Tamer bore N. W. by W. W. diftant three leagues, Cape Upright E. S. E. S. distant three leagues, and Cape Pillar W. diftant 10 leagues, We steered about W. N. all night, and at fix o'clock in the morning, had run eight and thirty miles by the log. At this time Cape Pillar bore S. W. diftant half a-mile, and the Swallow was about three miles a-stern of us. At this time there being but little wind, we

were

were obliged to make all the fail we could, to get without the Streight's mouth. At 11 o'clock I would have fhortened fail for the Swallow, but it was not in my power, for as a current fet us ftrongly down upon the Ifles of Direction, and the wind came to the west, it became abfolutely neceffary for me to carry fail, that I might clear them. Soon after we loft fight of the Swallow and never faw her afterwards. At first I was in

clined to have gone back into the Streight, but a fog coming on, and the sea rifing very fast, we were all of opinion that it was indifpenfably neceffary to get an offing as foon as poffible; for except we preffed the ship with fail, before the sea rose too high, it would be impracticable either to weather Terra del Fuego on one tack, or Cape Victory on the other. At noon, the Inlands of Direction bore N. 21' W. diftant three leagues, Saint Paul's cupola and Cape Victory in one, N. diftant feven leagues, and Cape Pillar E. diftant fix leagues.

Our latitude, by obfervation was 52° 38' and we computed our longitude to be 76° W.

Thus we quitted a dreary and inhospitable region, where we were in almost perpetual danger of fhipwreck for near four months, having entered the Streight on the 17th of December 1766, and quitted it on the 11th of April 1767; a region where, in the midft of Summer, the weather was cold, gloomy, and tempestuous, where the profpects had more the appearance of a chaos than of Nature, and where, for the most part, the vallies were without herbage, and the hills without wood.

CHA P. III.

A particular A count of the places in which we anchored during our passage through the freight, and of the Shoals and Rocks that lie near them.

HA

AVING cleared the Streight, we fteered a western courfe. But before I continue the narrative of our voyage, I fhall give a more particular account of the several places, where we anchored, plans of which

1767.

April.

are deposited in the Admiralty Office for the use of future navigators, with the fhoals and rocks that lie near them, the latitude, longitude, tides, and variation of the compafs.

I. CAPE VIRGIN MARY. The bay under this Cape is a good harbour, when the wind is wefterly. There is a fhoal lying off the Cape, but that may easily be known by the rock weed that grows upon it: the Cape is a steep white cliff, not unlike the South Foreland. Its latitude, by obfervation, is 52° 24' S. and its longitude, by account, 68° 22' W. The variation of the needle, by the medium of five azimuths and one amplitude, was 24° 30′ E. In this place we faw no appearance either of wood or water. We anchored in 10 fathom, with coarse fandy ground, about a mile from the shore, Cape Virgin Mary bearing N. by W. W. distant about two miles, and Dungeness Point S. S. W. diftant four miles. We anchored here on the 17th of December, and failed the next day. There is good landing, on a fine fandy beach, all along the fhore.

II. POSSESSION BAY. In failing into this bay, it is neceffary to give the point a good birth, because there is a reef runs right off it about a fhort mile. The foundings are very irregular all over the bay, but the ground is every where a fine foft mud and clay, fo that the cables can come to no damage. The Point lies in latitude 52° degrees 23' S. longitude, by account 68° 57′ W. the variation is two points eafterly. In the bay the tide rifes and falls between four and five fa · thom, and runs at the rate of about a mile an hour in the mid-channel without the bay, it runs nearly three miles an hour. In this place we faw no appearance either of wood or water. The landing appeared to be good, but we did not go on fhore. We anchored here on the 19th of December, and failed again on the 22d.

;

III. PORT FAMINE. At this place the Spaniards, in the year 1581, built a town which they called Philippeville, and left in it a colony, confifting of 400 perfons. When our celebrated navigator, Cavendish, arrived here in 1587, he found one of thefe unhappy wretches, the only one that remained, upon the beach:

they

they had all perished for want of fubfiftence, except twenty-four; twenty-three of thefe fet out for the river Plata, and were never afterwards heard of. This man whose name was Hernando, was brought to England by Cavendish, who called the place where he had taken him up, Port Famine. It is a very fine bay, in which there is room and conveniency for many thips to moor in great safety. We moored in nine fathom, having brought Cape St. Anne N. E. by E. and Sedger River S. W. which perhaps is the best fituation, though the whole bay is good ground. In this place there is very good wooding and watering: we caught many fine small fish with a hook and line off the ship's fide, and hauled the feine with great fuccess, in a fine fandy bay, a little to the fouthward of Sedger River we alfo thot a great number of birds, of various kinds, particularly geefe, ducks, teal, fnipes, plover and race-horses, and we found wild celery in great plenty. The latitude of this place is 53° 42' S. longitude, by observation, 71° 28′ W. the variation is two points eafterly. We anchored here the 27th of December 1766, and failed again the 18th of January 1767.

IV. CAPE HOLLAND BAY. There is no danger in failing into this bay, and there is good anchoring ground in every part of it. We lay at about three cables length from the fhore, in ten fathom, the ground coarse fand and fhells, Cape Holland bearing W. S. W. W. diftant three miles, Cape Froward 플 a little to the N. of the E. Right abreast of the fhip there was a very fine rivulet, and clofe under Cape Holland a large river, navigable for boats many miles : the fhore alfo affords fire-wood in great plenty. We found abundance of wild celery and cranberries, muscles and limpets, but caught very little fish, either with hook and line, or the feine. We killed fome geefe, ducks, teal, and race-horses, but they were not plenty. This bay lies in latitude 53° 57′ S. longitude, by account, 72° 34′ W. the variation is twopoints easterly. The water rofe about eight feet; we found, however, no regular tide, but for the most part a ftrong current fetting to the eastward. We anchor

ed

ed here on the 19th of January, and failed again on the 23d.

V. CAPE GALLANT Bay. In this bay, which may be entered with great fafety, there is a fine large lagoon, where a fleet of fhips may moor in perfect security. There is a depth of four fathom in every part of it, with a foft muddy ground. In the bay, the beft anchoring is on the eaft fide, where there is from fix to ten fathom. Here is good watering from two rivers, and plenty of wood. The lagoon abounded with wild fowl, and we found wild celery, muscles, and limpets in plenty. We did not haul the feine, having torn one to pieces, and the other being unpacked, but if we had, there is reason to believe that we should have been well fupplied with fish. The landing is good. The latitude of the bay and lagoon is 53° 500 S. longitude, by account, 73° 9' W. the variation Is two points easterly. I observed the water to rife and fall about nine feet, but the tide was very irregular. We anchored here the 23d of January, and failed again the 28th.

VI. ELIZABETH's BAY. At the entrance of this bay there are two small reefs, which appear above water. The most dangerous lies off the east point of the bay, but this may eafily be avoided, by keeping at the distance of about two cables length from the point. There is good landing all round the bay, but it is much exposed to the wefterly winds. The best place for anchoring is Paffage Point, at half a mile distance, bearing S. E. and the river bearing N. E. by E. diftant three cables length; in this fituation, a bank or shoal, which may be known by the weeds, bears W. N. W. distant a cable's length: the ground is coarse sand, with fhells. Sufficient wood is to be procured here for the use of ships, and there is good watering at a small river. We found a little celery and a few cranberries, but neither fish nor fowl. The latitude of this place is 53° 43′ S. the longitude, by account, 73° 24′ W. the variation is two points eafterly. We anchored here the 29th of January, and failed the 4th of February.

VII. YORK ROAD. The only danger of failing into the bay, that is formed by two points in this road,