I ■
R O U N D T H E WO R L D . 73
funfhine of our afternoon ended in a moil turbulent > night, the
wind frefhening from the S. W , as the night came on, and en-
creafing its violence continually till nine in the morning the next
day ; when it blew fo hard, that we Were obliged to bring-to with
the fquadron, and to continue under a reefed mizen till eleven at
nfeht having in that time from forty-three to fifty-feven fathom
water with blackfand and graver-, and, by an obfervation we had
at noon, we concluded a current had fet us twelve miles to the
fouthward of our reckoning. Towards midnight, the wind abating,
we made fail again ; and fleering South, we difcovered 1,1 the morning
for the firft time, the land called Terra del Fuego, ftretchmg
from the S. by W , to. the S. E . H E. This, indeed, afforded us but
a very uncomfortable profpeft, it appearing o f a ftupendous. height,
covered every where with fnow. And though the; drearmefs of
this fcene can be but imperfectly reprefented by any drawing, yet
the annexed plate contains fo exa£t a delineation o f the form o f
the country, that it may greatly affift the reader in framing fome
idea o f this uncouth and rugged coaft. In this Drawing, (a ) is the
opening of Streights Le M ain, (b j Cape St .Diego, ( i) (2) (3) the
three hills, called the Three Brothers, and (4) Monlegorda, an
highland which lies up in the country, and appears over thtThree.
Brothers. We fleered along this, fhore all day, having foundings
from forty, to fifty fathom, with ftones and gravel. And as we intended
to pafs through Streights Le Maire next day, we lay-to
at night, that we might not overfh'oot them, and took this opportunity
to prepare ourfelves for the tempeftuous climate we were
fopn to be engaged in ; with which view, we employed ourfelves
good part of the night in bending an entire new fuit of fails to-
the yards. At four the next morning, being the 7th o f March,
we made fail, and at eight faw the land ; and foon after we began
to open the Streights, at which time Cape St. James bore from
us E .S .E , Cape S t . f i w f S .E . t E, the middlemoft of the
Three Brothers S. and by W , Montegorda South, and Cape St, Bartholomew,
which is the fouthermoft point of Staten-land, W B H
- L This