ego taken from the Point, Ain the Chart, 2 nd Staten Land taken from the Point B. in the Chart, ego taken from, the Paint Cin the Chart. m 3 h CHA P. III. The Passage from Rio de Janeiro to the Entrance of the the Inhabitants of Terra del Fuego. N the 9th of December, we obferved the fea to be co ON vered with broad streaks of a yellowish colour, several 1768. December. of them a mile long, and three or four hundred yards wide: Friday 9. some of the water thus coloured was taken up, and found to be full of innumerable atoms pointed at the end, of a yellowish colour, and none more than a quarter of a line, or the fortieth part of an inch long: in the microscope they appeared to be Fafciculi of small fibres interwoven with each other, not unlike the nidus of some of the Phyganeas, called Caddices; but whether they were animal or vegetable subftances, whence they came, or for what they were defigned,. neither Mr. Banks nor Dr. Solander could guess. The fame appearance had been obferved before, when we firft difcovered the continent of South America. On the 11th we hooked a fhark, and while we were play- Sunday 116. ing it under the cabbin window, it threw out, and drew in again feveral times what appeared to be its ftomach: it proved to be a female, and upon being opened fix young, ones were taken out of it; five of them were alive and swam briskly in a tub of water, but the fixth appeared to have been dead fome time. Nothing remarkable happened till the 30th, except that Friday 30.we prepared for the bad weather, which we were shortly to expect, by bending a new fuit of fails; but on this day we ran 1768. December. Friday 30. 1769. January. Tuesday 3. Wednef. 11. ran a course of one hundred and fixty miles by the log, through innumerable land infects of various kinds, fome upon the wing, and more upon the water, many of which were alive; they appeared to be exactly the fame with the Carabi, the Grylli, the Phalane, Aranea, and other flies that are seen in England, though at this time we could not be lefs than thirty leagues from land; and some of these infects, particularly the Grylli and Aranea, never voluntarily leave it at a greater diftance than twenty yards. We judged ourfelves to be now nearly oppofite to Baye fans fond, where Mr. Dalrymple fuppofes there is a paffage quite through the continent of America; and we thought from the infects that there might be at least a very large river, and that it had overflowed its banks. On the 3d of January, 1769, being in latitude 47° 17′ S. and longitude 61° 29′ 45′′ W. we were all looking out for Pepys' ifland, and for fome time an appearance was feen in the caft which fo much refembled land, that we bore away for it; and it was more than two hours and an half before we were convinced that it was nothing but what failors call a Fog bank. The people now beginning to complain of cold, each of them received what is called a Magellanic jacket, and a pair of trowsers. The jacket is made of a thick woollen-stuff, called Fearnought, which is provided by the government. We faw, from time to time, a great number of penguins, albatroffes, and sheer waters, feals, whales, and porpoifes: and on the 11th, having passed Falkland's iflands, we discovered the coaft of Terra del Fuego, at the distance of about four leagues, extending from the W. to S. E. by S. We had here five and thirty fathom, the ground foft, small flate ftones. As we ranged along the shore to the S. E. at the distance of two two or three leagues, we perceived smoke in several places, which was made by the natives, probably as a signal, for they did not continue it after we had paffed by. This day we discovered that the ship had got near a degree of longitude to the weftward of the log, which, in this latitude, is 35 minutes of a degree on the equator: probably there is a fmall current fetting to the weftward, which may be caused by the wefterly current coming round Cape Horn, and through the Streight of Le Maire, and the indraught of the Streight of Magellan Having continued to range the coaft, on the 14th we entered the Streight of Le Maire; but the tide turning against us, drove us out with great violence, and raised such a fea off Cape St. Diego, that the waves had exactly the fame appearance as they would have had if they had broke over a ledge of rocks; and when the fhip was in this torrent, she frequently pitched, fo that the bowfprit was under water. About noon, we got under the land between Cape St. Diego and Cape St. Vincent, where I intended to have anchored; but finding the ground every where hard and rocky, and fhallowing from thirty to twelve fathoms, I fent the Mafter to examine a little cove which lay at a small distance to the eastward of Cape St. Vincent. When he returned, he reported, that there was anchorage in four fathom, and a good bottom, close to the eastward of the first bluff point, on the east of Cape St. Vincent, at the very entrance of the cove, to which I gave the name of VINCENT's Bay: before this an * The celebrated navigator who difcovered this Streight was a native of Portugal, and his name, in the language of his country, was Fernando de Magalhaens; the Spaniards call him Hernando Magalhanes, and the French Magellan, which is the orthography that has been generally adopted: a Gentleman, the fifth in defcent from thisgreat adventurer, is now living in or near London, and communicated the true name of his ancestor to Mr. Banks, with a requeft that it might be inferted in this work. choring 1769. January. Wednef. 11. Saturday 14. Enter the |