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 several bays and inlets.

2

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 diftance of feven leagues from New Ifland, 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 iflands, 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 diftance of three leagues from Barnevelt's iflands, 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 island, or a part of the main.

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

The appearance of this Cape and Hermit's iflands is reprefented in the chart of this coaft, from our first making land to the Cape, which includes the Streight of Le Maire, and part of Staten Land. In this chart I have laid down no land, nor traced out any fhore but what I saw myself, and. thus far it may be depended upon: the bays and inlets, of which we faw only the openings, are not traced; it however, fcarcely be doubted, but that moft, if not all of them, 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.

can,

1769.

January.

1769. January.

Thursday 26.

Admiral of this squadron, who firft discovered that the land of Cape Horn confifted of a number of islands. The account, however, which thofe who failed in Hermit's fleet have given of these parts is extremely defective; and those of Schouton and Le Maire are ftill 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, in the chart now offered to the public, as it was laid down by feveral observations 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 islands and Cape Horn, where we found it lefs, and unfettled; probably it is disturbed here by the land, as Hermit's fquadron, in this very place found all their compaffes differ from each other. The declination of the dipping-needle, when fet up on shore in Success 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 diftance of fifteen or twenty leagues.

On the 26th of January, we took our departure from Cape Horn, which lies in latitude 55° 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 compass, 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 fheerwaters. The albatroffes were ob

ferved to be larger than those 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 less, 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.

1769.

January.

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 13th of Febru- February. ary, when we were in latitude 49° 32', and longitude 90° 37′, we had no current to the weft.

2

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 east 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 reef'd topfails after we left the Streight of Le Maire. The Dolphin in her last voyage, which she 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 she lay in Port Famine; and I am perfuaded, from the winds we had, that if we had come by that passage, we should not at this time have been in these seas; that our people would have been fatigued, and our anchors, cables, fails and rigVOL. II. ging

K

Monday 13.

1769. February.

ging much damaged; neither of which inconveniencies we
had now fuffered. But fuppofing it more eligible to go
round the Cape, than through 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 ships bound to the South
"Seas, instead of paffing through the Streight of Le Maire,
"fhould conftantly pass to the eastward of Staten Land, and
"fhould be invariably bent on running to the southward as
"far as the latitude of 61 or 62 degrees, before they endea-
vour to ftand to the weftward." But, in my opinion, dif-
ferent circumstances 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 lose
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 fafety and convenience: but
if, on the contrary, the land is fallen in with to the eastward
of the Streight, and the wind should prove tempeftuous or
unfavourable, I think it would be beft 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 endea-
vour is made to ftand to the weftward. We found neither
the current nor the ftorms which the running fo far to the
fouthward is fuppofed neceffary to avoid; and indeed, as the
winds almost conftantly blow from that quarter, it is fcarcely
poffible to pursue the advice. The navigator has no choice
but to ftand to the fouthward, 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

the weft, his wefting will be confiderable. It will, indeed, be highly proper to make fure of a wefting sufficient 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 neceffity direct him.

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

СНАР. VII.

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

Ο

N the ift of March, we were in latitude 38° 44′ S. and longitude 110° 33′ W. both by observation 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 fhip. It renders it also 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 ship, fo that Mr. Banks killed no less than 62 in one day; and what is more remarkable, he caught two forest flies, both of them of the fame species, but different from any that have hither

March. Wednef. I.