a harbour; and about three or four miles to the 1765. January. fouthward of the fouth point of it, at the distance of about four miles from the main, fome rocks Monday 28. appear above the water, upon which the fea breaks very high, there being here a great fwell from the fouthward. When we were abreast of these breakers, we steered S. W. by S. about two leagues, when the fouthermoft land in fight, which I took to be the fouthermoft part of Falkland's Iflands, bore W. S. W. diftant five leagues. The coast now began to be very dangerous, there being, in all directions, rocks and breakers at a great dif tance from the fhore. The country alfo inland had a more rude and defolate appearance; the high ground, as far as we could fee, being all barren, craggy rocks, very much resembling that part of Terra del Fuego which lies near Cape Horn. As the sea now rose every moment, I was afraid of being caught here upon a lee-fhore, in which cafe. there would have been very little chance of my getting off, and therefore I tacked, and ftood to the northward; the latitude of the fouthermoft point in fight being about 52° 3' S. As we had now run no less than feventy leagues along the coaft of this island, it muft certainly be of very confiderable extent. It has been faid by fome former navigators to be about two hundred miles in circumference, but I made no doubt of its being nearer feven. Having hauled the wind, I ftood to the northward about noon; the entrance of Berkeley's Sound at three o'clock bore S. W. by W. diftant about fix leagues. At eight in the evening, the wind shifting to the S. W. we ftood to the westward. CHAP. F 3 1765. February. CHAP. VI. The Paffage through the Streight of Magellan as far as Cape Monday, with a Defcription of feveral Bays and Harbours, formed by the Coaft on each Side. W E continued to make fail for Port Defire till Wednesday the 6th of February, Wednef. 6. when about one o'clock in the afternoon we saw land, and stood in for the Port. During the run from Falkland's Iflands to this place, the number of whales about the fhip was fo great as to render the navigation dangerous; we were very near ftriking upon one, and another blew the water in upon the quarter-deck: they were much larger than any we had feen. As we were standing in for Port Defire, we faw the Florida, a ftore-fhip that we expected from England; and at four we came to an anchor off the harbour's mouth. Thurfd. 7. The next morning, Mr. Dean, the master of the ftore-fhip, came on board; and finding from his report that his foremaft was fprung, and his ship little better than a wreck, I determined to go into the harbour, and try to unload her there, although the narrowness of the place, and the rapidity of the tides, render it a very dangerous fituation. We got in in the evening, but it blowing very hard in the night, both the Tamar and the storefhip made fignals of diftrefs; I immediately fent my my boats to their affiftance, who found that, not- 1765 February. withitanding they were moored, they had been driven up the harbour, and were in the greatest Thursð. 7. danger of being on fhore. They were brought back, not without great difficulty, and the very next night they drove again, and were again faved by the fame efforts, from the fame danger. As I now found that the ftore-fhip was continually driving about the harbour, and every moment in danger of being loft, I gave up, with whatever reluctance, my design of taking the provifion's out of her, and fent all our carpenters on board, to fifh the maft, and make fuch other repairs as they could. I alfo lent her my forge to complete fuch iron work as they wanted, and determined, the moment she was in a condition to put to fea, to take her with us into the Streight of Magellan, and unload her there. While this was doing, Captain Mouat, who commanded the Tamar, informed me that his rudder was sprung, and that he had reason to fear it would in a fhort time become wholly unferviceable. Upon this I ordered the carpenter of the Dolphin on board the Tamar, to examine the rudder, and he reported it to be fo bad that in his opinion the veffel could not pro* ceed on her voyage without a new one. A new one however it was not in our power to procure at this place, and I therefore defired Captain Mouat to get his forge on fhore, and fecure his rudder with iron clamps in the best manner he could, hoping that in the Streight a piece of timber might be found which would furnish him with a better. 1765. February. Wednes. 13. Thurid. 14. Saturd. 16. Sunday 17. Monday 18, On Wednesday the 13th, the store-ship being ready for fea, I put on board of her one of my petty officers, who was well acquainted with the Streight, and three or four of my feamen to affift in navigating her; I alfo lent her two of my boats, and took those belonging to her, which were ftaved, on board to get them repaired, and then I ordered her master, to put to fea directly, and make the best of his way to Port Famine; though I did not doubt but that I fhould come up with her long before she got thither, as I intended to follow her as foon as the Tamar was ready, and Captain Mouat had told me that the rudder having been patched together by the joint labour and skill of the carpenter and smith, he should be in a condition to proceed with me the next morning. The next morning we accordingly put to fea, and a few hours afterwards being abreast of Penguin Island, we saw the store-ship a long way to the eastward. On Saturday the 16th, about fix o'clock in the morning, we faw Cape Fair-weather bearing W. S. W. at the diftance of five or fix leagues; and at nine, we saw a strange fail to the N. W. standing after us. On the 17th, at fix in the morning, Cape Virgin Mary bearing fouth, diftant five miles, we hauled in for the Streight, and the strange ship ftill followed us. On the 18th we paffed the firft Narrow, and as I perceived the strange ship to have shaped the fame 1765. February. fame course that we had, from the time she had own |