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1769. of the tide of flood, which happens here, at the full January. and change of the moon, about one or two o'clock; it is also best to keep as near to the Terra del Fuego shore as the winds will admit. By attending to these particulars, a hip may be got quite through the Streight in one tide; or, at leaft, to the fouthward of Succefs Bay, into which it will be more prudent to put, if the wind fhould be foutherly, than to attempt the weathering of Staten Land with a lee wind and a current, which may endanger her being driven on that island.

The Streight itfelf, which is bounded on the west by Terra del Fuego, and on the east by the west end of Staten Land, is about five leagues long, and as many broad. The Bay of Good Succefs lies about the middle of it, on the Terra del Fuego fide, and is discovered immediately upon entering the Streight from the northward; and the fouth head of it may be diftinguished by a mark on the land, that has the appearance of a broad road, leading up from the fea into the country: at the entrance it is half a league wide, and runs in weftward about two miles and an half. There is good anchorage in every part of it, from ten to feven fathoms, clear ground; and it affords plenty of exceeding good wood and water. The tides flow in the Bay, at the full and change of the moon, about four or five o'clock, and rife about five or fix feet perpendicular. But the flood runs two or three hours longer in the Streight than in the Bay; and the ebb, or northerly current, runs with near double the strength of the flood.

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In the appearance of Staten Land, we did not difcover the wildness and horror that is afcribed to it in the account of Lord Anson's voyage. On the north fide are the appearances of bays or harbours; and the land when we saw it, was neither destitute of wood nor verdure, nor covered with fnow. The island seems to be about twelve leagues in length, and five broad.

On the weft fide of the Cape of Good Succefs, which forms the S. W. entrance of the Streight, lies Valentine's Bay, of which we only faw the entrance; from this bay the land trends away to the W. S. W. for twenty or thirty leagues; it appears to be high and mountainous, and forms feveral bays and inlets.

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At the distance of fourteen leagues from the bay of Good Succefs, in the direction of S. W. W. and between two and three leagues from the fhore, lies New Ifland. It is about two leagues in length from N. E. to S. W. and terminates to the N. E. in a remarkable hillock. At the distance of feven leagues from New Island, in the direction of S. W. lies the ifle Evouts; and a little to the weft of the fouth of this ifland lie Barnevelt's two fmall flat islands, close to each other; they are partly furrounded with rocks, which rife to different heights above the water, and lie twenty-four leagues from the Streight of Le Maire. At the distance of three leagues from Barnevelt's islands, in the direction of S. W. by S. lies the S. E. point of Hermit's islands: these islands lie S. E. and N. W. and are pretty high: from most points of view they will be taken for one ifland, or part of the main.

From the S. E. point of Hermit's iflands to Cape Horn the course is S. W. by S. distant three leagues.

It can scarcely be doubted, but that most, if not all of the bays and inlets, of which we faw only the openings, afford anchorage, wood and water. The Dutch fquadron, commanded by Hermit, certainly put into fome of them in the year 1624; and it was Chapenham, the Vice Admiral of this fquadron, who first discovered that the land of Cape Horn confifted of a number of islands. The account, however, which those who failed in Hermit's fleet have given of these parts is extremely defective; and thofe of Schouton and Le Maire are still worfe: it is therefore no wonder that the charts hitherto published should be erroneous, not only in laying down the land, but in the latitude and longitude of the places they contain. I will, however, venture to affert, that the longitude of few parts of the world is better afcertained than that of the Streight of Le Maire and Cape Horn, as it was laid down by feveral obfervations of the fun and moon, that were made both by myself and Mr. Green.

The variation of the compafs on this coaft I found to be from 23° to 25° E except near Barnevelt's iflands and Cape Horn, where we found it lefs, and unfettled; probably it is difturbed here by the land, as Hermit's fquadron, in this very place, found all their VOL. I. compaffes

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1769. January.

1769. January.

Thurf. 26.

compaffes differ from each other. The declination of the dipping needle, when fet up on fhore in Succefs Bay, was 68° 15' below the horizon.

Between Streight Le Maire and Cape Horn we found a current fetting, generally very strong, to the N. E. when we were in with the fhore; but loft it when we were at the distance of fifteen or twenty leagues.

On the 26th of January we took our departure from Cape Horn, which lies in latitude 50° 53′ S. longitude 68° 13′ W. The fartheft fouthern latitude that we made was 60° 10', our longitude was then 74° 30' W. and we found the variation of the compafs, by the mean of eighteen azimuths, to be 27° 9' E. As the weather was frequently calm, Mr. Banks went out in a small boat to shoot birds, among which were fome albatroffes and sheerwaters. The albatroffes were obferved to be larger than thofe which had been taken northward of the Streight; one of them measured ten feet two inches from the tip of one wing to that of the other, when they were extended: the sheerwater, on the contrary, is lefs, and darker coloured on the back. The albatroffes we fkinned, and having foaked them in falt water till the morning, we parboiled them, then throwing away the liquor, ftewed them in a very little fresh water till they were tender, and had them served up with favoury fauce; thus dreffed, the dish was univerfally commended, and we eat of it very heartily, even when there was fresh pork upon the table.

From a variety of obfervations which were made with great care, it appeared probable in the highest degree, that, from the time of our leaving the land to the February. 13th of February, when we were in latitude 49° 32', Mond. 13. and longitude 90° 37', we had no current to the west. At this time we had advanced about 12° to the weftward, and 3 and to the northward of the Streight of Magellan having been just three and thirty days in coming round the land of Terra del Fuego, or Cape Horn, from the eaft entrance of the Streight to this fituation. And though the doubling of Cape Horn is fo much dreaded, that, in the general opinion, it is more eligible to pass through the Streight of Magellan, we were not once brought under our clofe

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reefed topfails after we left the Streight of Le Maire. The Dolphin in her last voyage, which the performed at the fame season of the year with ours, was three months in getting through the Streight of Magellan, exclufive of the time that the lay in Port Famine; and I am perfuaded, from the winds we had, that if we had come by that paffage, we should not at this time have been in these feas; that our people would have been fatigued, and our anchors, cables, fails and rigging much damaged; neither of which inconveniences we had now suffered. But fuppofing it more eligible to go round the Cape, than thro' the Streight of Magellan; it may ftill be queftioned, whether it is better to go through the Streight of Le Maire, or ftand to the eastward, and go round Staten Land. The advice given in the account of Lord Anfon's voyage is,

That all fhips bound to the South Seas, inftead of "paffing through the Streight of Le Maire, fhould

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conftantly pass to the eastward of Staten Land, and "should be invariably bent on running to the fouth"ward as far as the latitude of 61 or 62 degrees, be "fore they endeavour to ftand to the weftward." But in my opinion, different circumftances may at one time render it eligible to pafs through the Streight, and to keep to the eastward of Staten Land at another. If the land is fallen in with to the weftward of the Streight, and the wind is favourable for going through, I think it would be very injudicious to lofe time by going round Staten Land, as I am confident that, by attending to the directions which I have given, the Streight may be paffed with the utmost safety and con. venience: but if, on the contrary, the land is fallen in with to the eastward of the Streight, and the wind fhould prove tempeftuous or unfavourable, I think it would be best to go round Staten Land; but I cannot in any cafe concur in recommending the running into the latitude of 61 or 62, before any endeavour is made to ftand to the weftward. We found neither the current nor the storms which the running fo far to the fouthward is fuppofed neceffary to avoid; and indeed, as the winds almoft conftantly blow from that quarter, it is fcarcely poffible to purfue the advice. The navigator has no choice but to ftand to the fouthward, E e 2

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1769. February.

1769.

February.

March.

Wedn. I.

close upon a wind, and by keeping upon that tack, he will not only make fouthing, but wefting; and, if the wind varies towards the north of the weft, his wefting will be confiderable. It will, indeed, be highly proper to make fure of a wefting fufficient to double all the lands, before an attempt is made to ftand to the northward, and to this every man's own prudence will of neceflity direct him.

We now began to have strong gales and heavy feas, with irregular intervals of calm and fine weather.

CHA P. VII.

The Sequel of the Paffage from Cape Horn to the newly difcovered Iflands in the South Seas, with a Defcription of their Figure and Appearance; fome Account of the Inhabitants, and feveral Incidents that happened during the Courfe, and at the Ship's Arrival among them,

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N the firft of March, we were in latitude 38° 44' S. and longitude 110° 33′ W. both by obfervation and by the log. This agreement, after a run of 660 leagues, was thought to be very extraordinary; and is a demonftration, that after we left the land of Cape Horn we had no current that affected the ship. It renders it alfo highly probable, that we had been near no land of any confiderable extent; for currents are always found when land is not remote, and fometimes, particularly on the eaft fide of the continent in the North Sea, when land has been diftant 100 leagues.

Many birds, as ufual, were conftantly about the fhip, fo that Mr. Banks killed no lefs than fixty-two in one day; and what is more remarkable, he caught two forest flies, both of them of the fame fpecies, but different from any that have hitherto been defcribed; thefe probably belonged to the birds, and came with them from the land, which we judged to be at a great distance. Mr. Banks alfo, about this time, found a large cuttle-fifh, which had just been killed by the birds, floating in a mangled condition upon the water: it was very different from the cuttle-fishes that are found in the European feas; for its arms, instead of fuckers,

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