1766. December. Saturd. 27. Sund. 28. fathom. When we were upon this fhoal, Cape Porpoife bore W. S. W. W. the fouth end of Elizabeth's Inland W. N. W. W. diftant three leagues, and the fouth-end of Saint George's Inland N. E. distant four leagues. The store.ship, which was about half a league to the fouthward of us, had once no more than four fathom, and for a confiderable time not feven; the Swallow, which was three or four miles to the southward, had deep water, for fhe kept near to St. George's Ifland. In my opinion it is fafeft to run down from the north-end of Elizabeth's Island, about two or three miles from the fhore, and fo on all the way to Port Famine. At noon, a low point bore E. N. Freshwater Bay S. W. W. At this time we were about three miles diftant from the north fhore, and had no ground with 80 fathom. Our longitude, by observation, which was made over the shoal, was 71° 20′ W. our latitude 53° 12′ S. About four o'clock we anchored in Port Famine Bay, in 13 fathom, and there being little wind, fent all the boats, and towed in the Swallow and Prince Frederick. The next morning, the weather being squally, we warped the fhip farther into the harbour, and moored her with a cable each way in nine fathom. I then fent a party of men to pitch two large tents in the bottom of the bay, for the fick, the wooders, and the failmakers, who were foon after fent on fhore with the furgeon, the gunner, and some midfhipmen. Cape St. Anne now bore N. E. by E. diftant three quarters of a mile, and Sedger River S. W. On the 28th we unbent all the fails, and fent them on shore to be repaired, erected tents upon the banks of Sedger River, and sent all the empty cafks on fhore, with the coopers to trim them, and a mate and ten men to wash and fill them. We also hauled the feine, and caught fish in great plenty: fome of them resembled a mullet, but the flesh was very foft; and among them were a few fmelts, fome of which were twenty inches long, and weighed four and twenty Ounces. During our whole stay in this place we caught fish enough to furnish one meal a day both for the fick and the 1766. the well: we found alfo great plenty of celery and pea- December. tops, which were boiled with the peafe and portable foup befides these, we gathered great quantities of fruit that resembled the cranberry, and the leaves of a fhrub fomewhat like our thorn, which were remarkably four. When we arrived, all our people began to look pale and meagre; many had the fcurvy to a great degree, and upon others there were manifest signs of its approach; yet in a fortnight there was not a fcorbutic perfon in either of the fhips. Their recovery was effected by their being on shore, eating plenty of vegetables, being obliged to wash their apparel, and keep their perfons clean by daily bathing in the sea. The next day we fet up the forge on fhore; and Monday 29. from this time, the armourers, carpenters, and the reft of the people were employed in refitting the ship, and making her ready for the fea. In the mean time, a confiderable quantity of wood was cut, and put on board the store ship, to be fent to Falkland's Ifland; and as I well knew there was no wood growing there, I caufed fome thousands of young trees to be carefully taken up with their roots, and a proper quantity of earth: and packing them in the best manner I could, I put them also on board the storeship, with orders to deliver them to the commanding officer at Port Egmont, and to fail for that place with the firft fair wind, putting on board two of my feamen, who being in an ill state of health when they first came on board, were now altogether unfit to proceed in the voyage. On Wednesday the 14th of January, we got all our people and tents on board; having taken in feventyfive tons of water from the shore, and twelve months provisions of all kinds, at whole allowance, for ourfelves, and ten months for the Swallow, from on board the ftore-ship. I fent the master in the cutter, which was victualled for a week, to look out for anchoring places on the north fhore of the Streight. 1767. January. Wedn. 14. After several attempts to fail, the weather obliged us to continue in our old ftation till Saturday the 17th, Satur. 17. when the Prince Frederick Victualler failed for FalkLand's Ifland, and the mafter returned from his expe 1767: January. Sunday 18. Monday 19. Tuefd. 20. dition. The mafter reported that he had found four places, in which there was good anchorage, between the place where we lay and Cape Froward: that he had been on shore at feveral places, where he had found plenty of wood and water clofe to the beach, with abundance of cranberries and wild celery. He reported alfo, that he had seen a great number of currant bufhes full of fruit, though none of it was ripe, and a great variety of beautiful fhrubs in full bloffom, bearing flowers of different colours, particularly red, purple, yellow, and white, besides great plenty of the winter's bark, a grateful spice, which is well known to the botanists of Europe. He fhot feveral wild ducks, geefe, gulls, a hawk, and two or three of the birds which the failors call a Race-Horfe. At five o'clock in the morning of Sunday the 18th, we made fail, and at noon, being about two miles from the fhore, Cape Froward bore N. by E. a bluff point N. N. W. and Cape Holland W. S. Our latitude at this place, by obfervation, was 54° 3' S. and we found the Streight to be about fix miles wide. Soon after I fent a boat into Snug bay, to lie at the anchoring place, but the wind coming from the land, I ftood off again all night; and at a mile from the fhore, we had no ground with 140 fathom. In the morning of Monday the 19th, the Swallow having made the fignal for anchoring under Cape Holland, we ran in, and anchored in 10 fathom, with a clear fandy bottom. Upon fending the boats out to found, we discovered that we were very near a reef of rocks; we therefore tripped the anchor, and dropped farther out, where we had 12 fathom, and were about half a mile from the fhore, juft oppofite to a large ftream of water which falls with great rapidity from the mountains, for the land here is of a ftupendous height. Cape Holland bore W. S. W. W. diftant two miles, and Cape Froward E. Our latitude, by obfervation, was 53° 58' S. The next morning we got off fome water, and great plenty of wild celery, but could get no fish, except a few muscles. I fent off the boats to found, and found that there was good anchorage at about half a mile from from the shore, quite from the Cape to four miles January. below it; and clofe by the Cape a good harbour, where a fhip might refresh with more fafety than at Port Famine, and avail herfelf of a large river of fresh water, with plenty of wood, celery, and berries; though the place affords no fish except muscles. Having completed our wood and water, we failed Thursd. 22. from this place on the 22d, about three o'clock in the afternoon. At nine in the evening, the fhip being about two miles diftant from the fhore, Cape Gallant bore W. N. diftant two leagues, Cape Holland E. by N. diftant fix leagues; Cape Gallant and Cape Holland being nearly in one: a white patch in Monmouth's Ifland bore S. S. W. W. Rupert's Inland W. S. W. At this place the Streight is not more than five miles over; and we found a tide which produced a very unusual effect, for it became impoffible to keep the ship's head upon any point. At fix the next morning the Swallow made the Friday 23. fignal for having found anchorage; and at eight we anchored in a bay under Cape Gallant in 10 fathom, with a muddy bottom. The eaft point of Cape Gallant bore S. W. by W. W. the extream point of the eaftermost land E. by S. a point making the mouth of a river N. by W. and the white patch on Charles's Ifland S. W. The boats being fent out to found, found good anchorage every where, except within two cables length S. W. of the fhip, where it was coral, and deepened to 16 fathom. In the afternoon I sent out the mafter to examine the bay and a large lagoon; and he reported that the lagoon was the mosł commodious harbour we had yet feen in the Streight, having five fathom at the entrance, and from four to five in the middle; that it was capable of receiving a great number of veffels, had three large fresh water rivers, and plenty of wood and celery. We had here the misfortune to have a feine fpoiled, by being entangled with the wood that lies funk at the mouth of these rivers; but though we caught but little fish, we had an incredible number of wild ducks, which we found a very good fuccedaneum. The mountains are here very lofty, and the mafter of the Swallow climbed one of the highest, hoping that 1767. that from the fummit he should obtain fight of the January. South Sea; but he found his view intercepted by mountains still higher on the fouthern fhore: before he defcended, however, he erected a pyramid, within which he depofited a bottle containing a fhilling, and a paper on which was written the fhip's name and the date of the year; a memorial which poffibly may remain there as long as the world endures. Saturd. 24. In the morning of the 24th we took two boats and examined Cordes bay, which we found very much. inferior to that in which the fhip lay; it had indeed a larger lagoon, but the entrance of it was very narrow, and barred by a fhoal, on which there was not fufficient depth of water for à fhip of burden to float: the entrance of the bay also was rocky, and within it the ground was foul. In this place we faw an animal that resembled an afs, but it had a cloven hoof, as we difcovered afterwards by tracking it, and was as swift as a deer. This was the first animal we had feen in the Streight, except at the entrance, where we found the guanicoes that we would fain have trafficked for with the Indians. We fhot at this creature, but we could not hit it; probably it is altogether unknown to the naturalifts of Europe. The country about this place has the most dreary and forlorn appearance that can be imagined; the mountains on each fide the Streight are of an immenfe height about one fourth of the afcent is covered with trees of a confiderable fize; in the space from thence to the middle of the mountain there is nothing but withered shrubs; above these are patches of fnow, and fragments of broken rock; and the fummit is altogether rude and naked, towering above the clouds in vaft crags that are piled upon each other, and look like the ruins of Nature devoted to everlafting fterility and defolation. We went over in two boats to the Royal Islands, and founded, but found no bottom: a very rapid tide 'fet through wherever there was an opening; and they cannot be approached by fhipping without the most imminent danger. Whoever navigates this part of the Streight, fhould keep the north fhore clofe on board all the |
