September. and regret which I perceived they fuffered from a fenfe 1766. of their misbehaviour: I then admonished them to put Friday 12. November. December. Friday 26. on their clothes, and lie down, as I was confident they wanted reft; and added, that as I might poffibly during the course of the voyage have occafion for good fwimmers, I was very glad that I knew to whom I might apply. Having thus difmiffed these honeft fellows from their fears, I was infinitely gratified by the murmur of fatisfaction which instantly ran through the fhip's company; and was afterwards amply rewarded for my lenity, there being no fervice during all the toils and dangers of the voyage which they did not perform, with a zeal and alacrity that were much to their honour and my advantage, as an example to the rest. We failed again on the 12th, and I was then first acquainted with the particulars of our voyage by Captain Wallis, who gave me a copy of his inftructions, and appointed Port Famine in the Streight of Magellan to be the place of rendezvous, if we fhould happen to be separated. I was now convinced that I had been fent upon a service to which my veffel and her equipment were by no means equal, but I determined at all events to perform it in the best manner I was able. We proceeded on our voyage without any remarkable event till we anchored off Cape Virgin Mary, where we saw the Patagonians, of which I have given some account in a letter to Dr. Matty, which was published in the fixtieth volume of the Transactions of the Royal Society, and which it is not neceffary here to repeat, as it is in general the fame as thofe which have been given by Commodore Byron and Captain Wallis. When we entered the Streight, I was ordered to keep a head of the Dolphin and the ftore-fhip, to pilot them through the fhoals; but my fhip worked fo ill, that we could but very feldom make her tack without the help of a boat to tow her round: however, with much labour, and at no inconfiderable rifk, we anchored in Port Famine on Friday the 26th of December. At this place we unhung our rudder, and added -a piece of wood to it, in hopes that by making it broader, we should obtain fome advantage in working the the ship; in which however we were altogether difap-1767 pointed. February. After many difficulties and dangers, we got into Tuesday 17. Island Bay on the 17th of February; and before we made fail again, I represented the condition of my ship by letter to Captain Wallis, and requested him to confider what was best for his Majesty's fervice, whether she should be difmiffed, or continue the voyage. Captain Wallis replied, that as the Lords of the Admiralty had ordered the Swallow on this fervice, with the nature of which I was well acquainted, he did not think himself at liberty to alter her destination. We continued therefore for fome time to navigate the Streight together, and as I had paffed it before, I was ordered to keep a-head and lead the way, with liberty to anchor and weigh when I thought proper; but perceiving that the bad failing of the Swallow would so much retard the Dolphin, as probably to make her lose the season for getting into high fouthern latitudes, and defeat the intention of the voyage, I proposed to Captain Wallis, that he should lay the Swallow up in fome cove or bay, and that I should attend and assist him with her boats till the Streight should be paffed, which would probably be in much less time than if he continued to be retarded by my fhip; and I urged as an additional advantage that he might complete not only his stock of provifions and ftores, but his company, out of her, and then fend her back to England, with fuch of his crew as fickness had rendered unfit for the voyage propofing also, that in my way home, I would examine the eastern coaft of Patagonia, or attempt such other difcoveries as he should think proper. If this was not approved, and my knowledge of the South Seas was thought neceffary to the fuccefs of the voyage, I offered to go on board the Dolphin, and give up the Swallow to be commanded by the First Lieutenant, whofe duty I would perform during the rest of the voyage, or to make the voyage myfelf with only the Dolphin, if he would take the Swallow back to Europe; but Captain Wallis was still of opinion that the voyage fhould be profecuted by the two fhips jointly, pursuant to the orders that had been given. The 1767. April. Saturday II. The Swallow was now become fo foul, that with all the fails fhe could fet fhe could not make fo much way as the Dolphin, with only her top-fails and a reef in them: we continued in company, however, till FriFriday 10. day the 10th of April, when the western entrance of the Streight was open, and the great South Sea in fight. Hitherto I had, pursuant to my directions, kept a-head, but now the Dolphin being nearly a-breaft of us, fet her forefail, which foon carried her a-head of us; and before nine o'clock in the evening, as the fhewed no lights, we loft fight of her. We had a fine eastern breeze, of which we made the best use we could during the night, carrying all our small fails, even to the top-gallant ftudding fails, notwithstanding the danger to which it expofed us; but at day-break the next morning, we could but just see the Dolphin's top-fails above the horizon; we could perceive, however, that she had ftudding-fails fet, and at nine o'clock, we had entirely loft fight of her; we judged that she was then clear of the Streight's mouth, but we, who were still under the land, had but light and variable airs. From this time, I gave up all hope of feeing the Dolphin again till we should arrive in England, no plani of operation having been fettled, nor any place of rendezvous appointed, as had been done from England to the Streight. I thought myself the more unfortunate in this feparation, as no part of the woollen cloth, linen, beads, fciffars, knives, and other cutlery-ware, and toys, which were intended for the use of both ships, and were so neceffary to obtain refreshments from Indians, had, during the nine months we had failed together, been put on board the Swallow, and as we were not provided either with a forge or iron, which many circumstances might render abfolutely neceffary to the preservation of the fhip. I had the fatisfaction, however, to fee no marks of defpondency among my people, whom I encouraged, by telling them, that although the Dolphin was the best ship, I did not doubt but that I fhould find more than equivalent advantages in their courage, ability, and good conduct. At noon, this day, we were a-breast of Cape Pillar, when a gale springing up at S. W. we were obliged to take down our fmall fails, reef our top-fails, and haul 1767. April. haul close to the wind: foon after it freshened to the W. S. W. blowing right in from the fea, and after making two boards, we had the mortification to find that we could not weather the land on either tack. It was now almost dark, the gale increased, driving before it a hollow fwell, and a fog came on, with violent rain; we therefore got clofe under the fouth fhore, and fent our boat a-head to find out Tuesday's Bay, which is faid by Sir John Narborough to lie about four leagues within the Streight, or to find out any other place in which we might come to an anchor. At five o'clock we could not fee the land, notwithstanding its extream height, though we were within lefs than half a mile of it, and at fix, the thickness of the weather having rendered the night fo dark that we could not fee half the ship's length, I brought to for the boat, and was indeed, with good reason, under great concern for her fafety: we hoifted lights, and every now and then made a falfe fire, but ftill doubting whether they could be seen through the frog and rain, I fired a gun every half hour, and at last had the fatisfaction to take her on board, though fhe had made no discovery either of Tuesday's Bay, or any other anchoring-place. We made fail the reft of the night, endeavouring to keep near the fouth fhore, and our ground to the weftward as much as poffible; and as foon as it was light the next morning, I fent the Mafter again out in the Sunday 12. cutter, in fearch of anchorage on the fouth fide. I waited in a state of the most painful fufpenfe for her return, till five o'clock in the afternoon, fearing that we should be obliged to keep out in this dangerous pafs another night, but I then faw her founding a bay, and immediately stood in after her in a fhort time the Mafter came on board, and to our unfpeakable comfort reported, that we might here come fafely to an anchor; this, with the help of our boat, was effected about fix o'clock, and I went down into cabin to take some rest: I had, however, fcarcely lain down, before I was alarmed with an univerfal fhout and tumult among the people, all that were below running haftily upon the deck, and joining the clamour of those above: I instantly started up, imagining that a gust had forced the ship from her anchor, and that the was : my driving April. 1767, driving out of the bay; but when I came upon the deck, I heard the people cry out, the Dolphin! the Dolphin! in a transport of furprize and joy, which appeared to be little fhort of diftraction: a few minutes, however, convinced us that what had been taken for a fail was nothing more than the water which had been forced up, and whirled about in the air, by one of the violent gufts that were continually coming off the high land, and which, through the haze, had a moft deceitful appearance. The people were for a few minutes fomewhat dejected by their difappointment, but before I went down, I had the pleafure to fee their ufual fortitude and cheerfulness return.. The little bay, where we were now at anchor, lies about three leagues E. by S. from Cape Pillar: it is the first place which has any appearance of a bay within that Cape, and bears. S. by E. about four leagues from the island which Sir John Narborough called, Weftminster Hall, from its refemblance to that building in a diftant view. The western point of this bay makes a very remarkable appearance, being a perpendicular plane like the wall of a house. There are three islands about two cables length within its entrance, and within thofe iflands a very good harbour, with anchorage in between twenty-five and thirty, fathoms, with a bottom of foft mud. We anchored without the island, the paffage on each fide of them being not more than one-fourth of a cable's length wide. Our little bay is about two cables length broad, the points bearing eaft and weft of each other: in the inner part there is from fixteen to eighteen fathoms, but where we lay it is deeper; we had one anchor in feventeen fathoms, and the other in forty-five, with great over-falls between them, and rocks in feveral places. Here we rode out a very hard gale, and the ground being extremely uneven, we expected our cables to be cut in two every minute, yet when we weighed, to our great furprize, they did not appear to have been rubbed in any part, though we found it very difficult to heave them clear of the rocks. The land round this bay and harbours is all high, and as the current fets continually into it, I doubt not but it has another communication with the fea to the fouth of Cape Defeada. |