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March.

1765 day, where the Tamar lay in eighteen fathom, the pitch of the Cape bearing W. by N. diftant half a mile. We found this place very safe, the ground being excellent, and there being room enough for two or three ships of the line to moor.

Saturd. 23.

Sunday 24.

'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 we made fail opened the South Sea, from which fuch a fwell rolled in upon us as I have feldom feen. At four 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 extreme 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 ifland which makes the bay.

At three o'clock in the morning of the 24th, I sent a boat, 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.

The next morning I fent the boats again to the westMonday 25. ward, 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 Tuesd. 26. made fail, however, about eight in the forenoon of the next day, and at three, 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 the compass from Cape Upright, at the distance of about three leagues. The fouth fhore in this place had a very bad appearance, many funken rocks lying about it to a confiderable diflance, upon which the fea breaks very high. At four the weather became very thick, and in less than

half

March.

half an hour we saw the south fhore at the distance of 1765. about a mile, but could get no anchoring place: we therefore tacked, and stood over to the north shore. At half an hour after fix I made the Tamar's fignal to come under our ftern, and ordered her to keep a-head of us all night, and to fhew lights, and fire a gun every time she changed her tack. At feven, it cleared up for a moment just to shew us the north shore, bearing W. by N, we tacked immediately, and at eight the wind fhifted from N. N. W. to W. N. W. and blew with great violence. Our fituation was now very alarming; the storm increased every minute, the weather was extremely thick, the rain seemed to threaten another deluge, we had a long dark night before us, we were in a narrow channel, and furrounded on every fide by rocks and breakers. We attempted to clew up the mizen-topfail, but before this fervice could be done it was blown all to rags: we then brought to, with the main and fore-topfail clofe reefed, and upon the cap, keeping the fhip's head to the fouth-weft; but there being a prodigious fea, it broke over us so often that the whole deck was almost continually under water. At nine, by an accidental breaking of the fog, we saw the high Cape on the north fhore that has been just mentioned bearing eaft, at about a mile diftance, but had entirely lost sight of the Tamar. At half an hour after three in the morning, we fuddenly perceived Wednef. 27. ourselves close to a high land on the fouth fhore, upon which we wore, and brought fo to the northward. The gale ftill continued, if poffible, with increasing violence, and the rain poured down in torrents, fo that we were, in a manner, immerfed in water, and expected every moment to be among the breakers. The long wished-for day at length broke, but the weather was still so thick that no land was to be feen, though we knew it could not be far diftant, till after fix, when we saw the foûth fhore at about the distance of two miles; and foon after, to our great fatisfaction we faw the Tamar: at this time Cape Monday bore S. E. diftant about four miles, and the violence of the gale not abating, we bore away. About feven, both fhips came to an anchor in the bay which lies to the eastward of Cape Monday, notwithstanding the

fea

1765. March.

Thurf. 28.

Friday 29.

fea that rolled in; for we were glad to get anchorage
any where.
We had now been twice within four
leagues of Tuesday's Bay, at the western entrance of
the Streight, and had been twice driven back ten or
twelve leagues by such storms as we had now just expe-
rienced. When the feafon is fo far advanced as it
was when we attempted the paffage of this Streight, it
is a most difficult and dangerous undertaking,as it blows
a hurricane inceffantly night and day, and the rain is
as violent and conftant as the wind, with fuch fogs as
often render it impoffible to discover any object at the
distance of twice the fhip's length. This day our best
bower cable being quite rubbed to pieces, we cut it into
junk, and bent a new one, which we rounded with
old rigging eight fathom from the anchor.

In the afternoon of the day following, the Tamar parted a new best bower cable, it being cut by the rock, and drove over to the east side of the bay, where she was brought up at a very little distance from fome rocks, against which the muft otherwife have been dashed to pieces.

At feven o'clock in the morning of the 29th, we weighed and found our small bower cable very much rubbed by the foul ground, fo that we were obliged to cut no less than fix and twenty fathom of it off, and bend it again. In about half an hour the Tamar, being very near the rocks, and not being able to purchase her anchor, made fignals of diftrefs. I was therefore obliged to ftand into the bay again, and having anchored, I fent hawfers on board the Tamar, and heaved her up while fhe purchased her anchor, after which we heaved her to windward, and at noon, being got into a proper birth, the anchored again. We continued in our flation all night, and the next Saturd. 30. morning a gale came on at W. N. W which was ftill more violent than any that had preceded it; the water was torn up all round us, and carried much higher than the mafts heads, a dreadful fea at the fame time rolling in; fo that, knowing the ground to be foul, we were in conftant apprehenfion of parting our cables, in which cafe we must have been almost inftantly dashed to atoms against the rocks that were just to leeward of us, and upon which the fea broke with inconceivable

1765.

March.

inconceivable fury, and a noise not lefs loud than thunder. We lowered all the main and fore yards, let go the small bower, veered a cable and an half on the best bower, and having bent the sheet cable, stood by the anchor all the rest of the day, and till midnight, the fea often breaking half-way up our main throuds. About one in the morning, the weather became fome- Sunday 31. what more moderate, but continued to be very dark, rainy and tempeftuous, till midnight, when the wind fhifted to the S. W. and foon afterwards it became comparatively calm and clear.

April.

The next morning, which was the first of April, we had a stark calm, with now and then some light airs Monday 1. from the eastward; but the weather was again thick with hard rain, and we found a current fetting strongly to the eastward. At four o'clock we got up the lower yards, unbent the fheet cable, and weighed the small bower; at eight we weighed the best bower, and found the cable very much rubbed in several places, which we confidered as a great misfortune, it being a fine new cable which never had been wet before.

At eleven, we hove short on the stream anchor; but foon after, it being calm, and a thick fog coming on with hard rain, we veered away the stream cable, and with a warp to the Tamar, heaved the ship upon bank again, and let go the fmall bower in two and twenty fathom.

the

At fix in the evening, we had ftrong gales at W.
N. W. with violent fqualls and much rain, and con-
tinued in our station till the morning of the 3d, when Wednef. 3.
I fent the Tamar's boat, with an officer from each

ship to the weftward, in fearch of anchoring-places
on the fouth fhore; and at the fame time I fent
my own
cutter with an officer to seek anchoring-places on the
north fhore.

The cutter returned the next morning at fix o'clock, Thurid. 4 having been about fix leagues to the weftward upon the north fhore, and found two anchoring-places. The officer reported, that having been on shore, he fell in with fome Indians, who had with them a canoe of a conftruction very different from any that he had feen in the Streight before; this veffel confifted of planks fewed together, but all the others were nothing

more

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more than the bark of large trees tied together at the ends, and kept open by fhort pieces of wood, which were thrust in tranfverfely between the two fides, like the boats which children make of a bean shell. The ,people, he said, were the nearest to brutes in their manner and appearance of any he had seen: they were like fome which he had met with before, quite naked, notwithstanding the severity of the weather, except part of a seal-skin which was thrown over their shoulders; and they eat their food, which was such as nɔ other animal but a hog would touch, without any dreffing: they had with them a large piece of whale blubber, which stunk intolerably, and one of them tore it to pieces with his teeth, and gave it about to the rest, who devoured it with the voracity of a wild beast. They did not however look upon what they saw in the poffeffion of our people with indifference; for while one of them was afleep, they cut off the hinder part of his jacket with a sharp flint which they use as a knife.

About eight o'clock, we made fail, and found little or no current. At noon, Cape Upright bore W. S. W. diftant three leagues; and at fix in the evening, we anchored in the bay, on the fouthern fhore, which lies about a league to the eastward of the Cape, and had fifteen fathom water.

While we were lying here, and taking in wood and water, feven or eight Indians in a canoe came round the western point of the bay, and having landed oppofite to the ship, made a fire. We invited them to come on board by all the figns we could devife, but without fuccefs; I therefore took the jolly boat, and went on fhore to them. I introduced myself by making them presents of feveral trifles, with which they feemed to be much gratified, and we became very intimate in a few minutes after we had spent some time together, I fent away my people, in the boat for fome bread, and remained on fhore with them alone. When the boat returned with the bread, I divided it among them, and I remarked with equal pleasure and furprife, that if a bit of the biscuit happened to fall, not one of them offered to touch it till I gave my confent. In the mean time fome of my people were cutting a little grafs for

two

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