two or three sheep which I had still left on board, and 1765. at length the Indians, perceiving what they were do- April. ing, ran immediately, and tearing up all the weeds, they could get, carried them to the boat, which in a very fhort time was filled almost up to her gunwale. I was much gratified by this token of their good-will, and I could perceive that they were pleased with the pleasure that I expreffed upon the occafion they had indeed taken such a fancy to us, that when I returned on board the boat, they all got into their canoe, and followed me. When we came near the ship, however, they stopped, and gazed at her as if held in furprize by a mixture of astonishment and terror; but at laft, though not without fome difficulty, I prevailed upon four or five of them to venture on board. As foon as they entered the fhip I made them feveral prefents, and in a very little time they appeared to be perfectly at ease. As I was very defirous to entertain them, one of the midshipmen played upon the violin, and fome of my people danced; at this they were so much delighted, and fo impatient to fhew their gratitude, that one of them went over the fhip's fide into the canoe, and fetched up a seal skin bag of red paint, and immediately fmeared the fidler's face all over with it: he was very defirous to pay me the fame compliment, which however I thought fit to decline; but he made many very vigorous efforts to get the better of my modefty, and it was not without fome difficulty that I defended myself from receiving the honour he defigned me in my own defpight. After having diverted and entertained them feveral hours, I intimated that it would be proper for them to go on fhore; but their attachment was fuch, that it was by no means an easy matter to get them out of the ship. Their canoe was not of bark, but of planks fewed together. On Sunday the 7th, at fix o'clock in the morning, Sunday 7. we weighed, with a moderate breeze at E. N. E. and fine weather. At feven, we were a-breaft of Cape Upright and at noon, it bore E. S. E. diftant four leagues foon after we tried the current, and found it fet to the eastward at the rate of a knot and an half an hour. At three it fell calm, and the current driving us to the eastward very fast, we dropped an anchor, VOL. I. which F 1765. April. Monday 8. Tuesday 9. which before it took the ground was in one hundred and twenty fathom. This day, and not before, the Tamar's boat returned from the weftward: fhe had been within two or three leagues of Cape Pillar, and had found several very good anchoring-places on the fouth shore. At one o'clock the next morning, having a fresh gale. at weft, we weighed, notwithstanding the weather was thick, and made fail; at eleven it blew very hard, with violent rain and a great fea, and as we perceived that we rather loft than gained ground, we ftood in for a bay on the fouth shore, about four leagues to the weftward of Cape Upright, and anchored in twenty fathom the ground was not good, but in other refpects this was one of the best harbours that we had met with in the Streight, for it was impoffible that any wind fhould hurt us. There being lefs wind in the afternoon, and it inclining a little towards the fouth, we unmoored at two, and at four, the wind having then come round to the S. S. E. and being a moderate breeze, we weighed and fteered to the weftward: we made about two leagues and an half, but night then coming on, we anchored, not without great difficulty, in a very good bay on the fouth shore in twenty fathom. As very violent gufts came from the land, we were very near being driven off before we could let go an anchor, and if we had not at last fucceeded we must have paffed a dreadful night in the Streight; for it blew a hurricane from the time we came to an anchor till the morning, with violent rain, which was fometimes intermingled with fnow. At fix o'clock, the wind being ftill fresh and fqually at S. S. E. we weighed and fteered W. by N along the fouth fhore. At eleven, we were abreast of Cape Pillar, which by the compass is about fourteen leagues W. N. from Cape Upright. Cape Pillar may be known by a large gap upon the top, and when it bears W. S. W. an ifland appears off it which has an appearance fomewhat like a hay-ftack, and about which lie feveral rocks. The Streight to the eastward of the Cape is between feven and eight leagues over the land on each fide is of a moderate height, but it is lowest on the north fhore, the fouth fhore being much .. the the boldeft, though both are craggy and broken. Weftminster Island is nearer to the north than the fouth fhore; and by the compafs, lies N. E. from Cape Pillar. The land on the north fhore, near the west end of the Streight, makes in many islands and rocks, upon which the fea breaks in a tremendous manner. The land about Cape Victory is diftant from Cape Pillar about ten or eleven leagues, in the direction of N. W. by N. From the Cape weftward, the coaft tends S. S. W. W. to Cape Defeada, a low point, off which lie innumerable rocks and breakers. About four leagues W. S. W. from Cape Defeada lie fome dangerous rocks, called by Sir John Narborough the Judges, upon which a mountainous furf always breaks with inconceivable fury. Four fmall iflands, called the Islands of Direction, are distant from Cape Pillar about eight leagues, in the direction of N. W. by W. When we were off this Cape it was stark calm ; but I never saw such a fwell as rolled in here, nor fuch a. furge as broke on each fhore. I expected every moment that the wind would fpring up from its ufual quarter, and that the beft which could happen to us would be to be driven many leagues up the Streight again. Contrary, however to all expectation, a fine steady gale fprung up at S. E. to which I fpread all the fail that it was poffible for the ship to bear, and ran off from this frightful and defolate coaft at the rate of nine miles an hour; fo that by eight o'clock in the evening we had left it twenty leagues behind us. And now to make the ship as ftiff as poffible, I knocked down our after bulk-head, and got two of the boats under the half-deck; I alfo placed my twelve-oarcd cutter under the boom; fo that we had nothing upon the fkids but the jolly boat; and the alteration which this made in the veffel is inconceivable; for the weight of the boats upon the fkids made her crank, and in a great fea they were alfo in danger of being loft. It is probable, that whoever shall read this account of the difficulties and dangers which attended our pasfage through the Streight of Magellan, will conclude, that it ought never to be attempted again; but that all fhips which shall hereafter fail a western courfe from Europe into the South Seas ought to go round Cape F 2 Horm 1765. April. 1765. April. Horn. I, however, who have been twice round Cape Horn, am of a different opinion. I think that at a proper season of the year, not only a fingle veffel, but a large fquadron might pass the Streight in lefs than three weeks; and I think, to take the proper feafon, they should be at the eastern entrance fome time in the month of December. One great advantage of this paffage, is the facility with which fish is almost every where to be procured, with wild celery, fcurvy-grafs, berries, and many other vegetables in great abundance; for to this I impute the healthinefs of my fhip's company, not a fingle man being affected with the fcurvy in the flightest degree, nor upon the fick lift for any other diforder, notwithstanding the hardship and labour which they endured in the paffage, which coft us feven weeks and two days, as we entered the Streight on Sunday the 17th of February, and quitted it on Tuesday the 9th of April. Wood and water are also to be procured almost at every anchoring-place beyond Fresh Water Bay. Our fufferings I imputed wholly to our paffing the Streight just as the fun approached the equinox, when in this high latitude, the worst weather was to be expected and indeed the weather we had was dreadful beyond all defcription. CHAP. VIII. The Run from the Western Entrance of the Streight of H AVING cleared the Streight, we pursued our course to the weftward, as appears by the Friday 26. track in the chart, till Friday, April the 26th, when we discovered the island of Mafafuero bearing W. N. W. W. diftant about fixteen leagues; but as to the northward it was hazy, the island of Don Juan Fernandes, was not in fight. During this run the variation had gradually decreased from 22° to 9° 36' E. We bore away for Masafuero, and at fun-fet, being within about seven leagues of it, we brought to, and Saturd. 27 afterwards kept the wind all night. At day-break the next day, we bore away again for the island, at the fame time fending an officer, with a boat from each fhip, to found the eastern fide of it. About noon, the middle of the island bore W. diftant about three miles, and as I saw the boats run along the shore, without being able to land any where for the furf, I bore down to the north part of the island, off which a reef runs for the diftance of about two miles, and lay by for them. This island is very high, and the greater part of it is covered with wood; but towards the north end, where I lay, fome fpois feemed to have been cleared, upon which great numbers of goats were feeding, and they had a green and pleasant appearance. When the boats returned, the officer informed me that he had found a bank, on the east side of the island nearest to the fouth point, at a confiderable distance from the fhore, where we might anchor, and oppofite to which there was a fine fall of fresh water; but near the north point, he faid, he could find no anchorage. The boats brought off a great quantity of very fine fish, which they had caught with hook and line near the fhore; and as foon as we had taken them on board, which was late in the afternoon, we made fail, and worked to windward in the night. 1765. April. At feven o'clock in the morning, we anchored with Sunday 28. the fmall bower, on the bank which the boats had difcovered, in twenty-four fathom, with black fandy ground. The extream points bore from S. to N. W. and the fall of water bore S. S. W. diftant about a mile from the ship's station. This part of the island lies north and fouth, and is about four miles long: the foundings are very regular, from twenty to fifteen fathom, within two cables length of the fhore. Soon after we were come to an anchor, I fent out the boats to endeavour to get fome wood and water, but as I obferved the fhore to be rocky, and a furf to break with great violence upon it, I ordered all the men to put on cork jackets, which had been fent with us to be made ufe of upon fuch occafions. By the help of thefe jackets, which not only affifted the men in fwimming, but prevented their being bruised against the rocks, we got off a confiderable quantity of water and wood, which, without fuch affittance, we could not have done there was, however, another fpecies of danger here, against which cork jackets afforded no defence; F 3 |