December. At this place, not far from where the fhip lay, 1764. there is a hill that has been cleared of wood, and we supposed this to be the spot where the Spaniards formerly had a fettlement *. One of the men, as he was paffing over this hill, perceived that, in a particular part, the ground returned the found of his foot, as if it was lollow: he therefore repaffed it several times, and finding the effect ftill the fame, he conceived a strong notion that fomething was buried there; when he came on board, he related what he had remarked to me, and I went myself to the spot, with a small party, furnished with fpades and pickaxes, and faw the fpot opened to a confiderable depth, but we found nothing, nor did there appear to be any hollow or vault as was expected. As we were returning through the woods, we found two very large skulls, which, by the teeth, appeared to have belonged to fome beasts of prey, but of what kind we could not guess. Having continued here till Friday the 4th of 1765. January, and completed the wood and water of January. both fhips, for which purpofe I had entered the Streight, I determined to steer back again in fearch. of Falkland's Islands. * See fome account of this fettlement in the Voyage of Captain Wallis, chap. iii. VOL. I. E CHAP. 1765. January. Friday 4. Sunday 6. CHA P. V. The Courfe back from Port Famine to Falkland's lands, with fome Account of the Country. WE E weighed anchor at four o'clock in the morning, and worked to windward out of the harbour: the wind continued contrary at N. N. E. till about one o'clock the next day, when it fhifted to W. S. W. and blew a fresh gale. We fteered N. W. by N. four leagues, and then three leagues North, between Elizabeth and Bartholomew islands: we then fteered from the islands N. by E. three leagues, to the fecond Narrow; and fteered through N. E. E. continuing the fame courfe from the fecond Narrow to the first, which was a run of eight leagues. As the wind ftill continued to blow fresh, we fteered through the first Narrow against the flood, in the direction of N. N. E.; but about ten o'clock at night, the wind dying away, the flood fet us back again into the entrance of the firft Narrow, where we were obliged to anchor, in forty fathom, within two cables' length of the fhore. The tide flows here, at the full and change of the moon, about two o'clock, and runs full fix knots an hour. At one o'clock the next morning, we weighed, with a light northerly breeze; and about three, we paffed the firft Narrow a fecond time. Hav January. Sunday 6. ing now feen the ship safe through, and being quite 1765. exhaufted with fatigue, as I had been upon the deck all the preceding day, and all night, I went into my cabbin to get fome reft. I lay down, and foon fell asleep; but in lefs than half an hour, I was awakened by the beating of the fhip upon a bank: I inftantly ftarted up, and ran upon the deck, where I foon found that we had grounded upon a hard fand. It was happy for us, that at this time it was ftark calm; and I immediately ordered out the boats to carry an anchor aftern, where the water was deepest: the anchor took the ground, but before we could work the capstern, in order to heave the fhip off to it, fhe went off, by the mere rifing of the tide. It happened fortunately to be just low water when he went aground, and there was fifteen feet forward, and fix fathom a very little way aftern. The master told me, that at the laft caft of the lead, before we were aground, he had thirteen fathom; so that the water fhoaled at once no less than fixty-three feet. This bank, which has not been mentioned by any navigator who has paffed the Streight, is extremely dangerous; efpecially as it lies directly in the fair way between Cape Virgin Mary and the firft Narrow, and juft in the middle between the fouth and north fhores. It is more than two leagues long, and full as broad; in many places also it is very steep. When we were upon it, Point Poffeffion bore N. E. diftant three leagues; and the entrance of the Narrow S. W, diftant two leagues. I afterwards faw many parts of it dry, January. 1765. and the fea breaking very high over other parts of it, where the water was shallow. A ship that Sunday 6. fhould ground upon this fhoal in a gale of wind, would probably be very foon beaten to pieces. Monday 7. About fix o'clock in the morning, we anchored in fifteen fathom, the fhoal bearing N. N. W. W. at the distance of about half a mile. At noon, we weighed with a light breeze at N. E. and worked with the ebb tide till two; but finding the water fhoal, we anchored again in fix fathom and an half, at about the distance of half a mile from the fouth fide of the fhoal. The Affes Ears then bearing N. W. by W. diftant four leagues, and the fouth point of the entrance of the first Narrow W. S. W. diftant about three leagues. At this time the opening of the Narrow was fhut in, and upon fending out the boats to found, they difcovered a channel between the fhoal and the fouth fhore of the Streight. The Tamar in the mean time, as fhe was endeavouring to come near us, was very near going on fhore, having once got into three fathom, but foon after came to an anchor in the channel between the shoal and the north shore. The next morning, about eight o'clock, we weighed, with little wind at W. S. W. and fteered about half a mile S. E. by E. when, having deepened our water to thirteen fathom, we fteered between the E. and E. N. E. along the fouth fide of the fhoal, at the diftance of about feven miles from the fouth fhore, keeping two boats at fome distance, one on each bow, to found. The depth of 1 2 January. Monday 7. 1 of water was very irregular, varying continually 1765. between nine and fifteen fathom; and upon hauling nearer to the fhoal, we had very foon no more than feven fathom: the boats went over a bank, upon which they had fix fathom and an half; ic being then low water, but within the bank, they had thirteen fathom. At noon, we were to the eastward of the fhoal, and as we hauled over to the north fhore, we foon deepened our water to twenty fathom. Point Poffeffion at this time bore N. N. W. diftant between four and five leagues, the Affes Ears W. N. W. diftant fix leagues, and Cape Virgin Mary N. E. E. diftant about feven leagues. From this fituation we steered N. E. by E. for the fouth end of the spit which runs to the fouthward of the Cape, and had no foundings with five and twenty fathom. At four in the after. noon, Cape Virgin Mary bore N. E. and the fouth end of the spit N. E. by E. diftant three leagues. At eight the next morning, the Cape bore N. by W. Tuesday 8: diftant two leagues. Our latitude was 51° 50', and our foundings were eleven and twelve fathom. We now brought to for the Tamar, who had come through the north channel, and was fome leagues aftern of us, and while we were waiting for her coming up, the officer of the watch in formed me that the head of the main.maft was fprung: I immediately went up to look at it felf, and found it fplit almoft in a straight line perpendicularly for a confiderable length, but I could not discover exactly how far the fiffure went, for the cheeks that were upon the maft. We E 3 my imagined |