Thus having given the, belt,directions in my-power for the fee—
eefs o f our crullers; who may be hereafter bound to the South-Seas-,.
it might be expefted'that I-fhouid again refume the thread of my
narration. Y e t as, both in the preceding and fubfeqpent parts o f
this work, Thave thought it my duty not only to. recite alLfuch,
fads, and to inculcate inch maxims, as had the lead appearance of
proving (beneficial to future Navigators, but atfo occafionaily to recommend
fuch meaferes; to the Public as. I conceive are adapted,
to promote the fame laudable purpofe ;• I cannot defift from the
ptefent fubjeflt without beleeching thofe,. to. whom the condu£t of
aur naval affairs- is committed,, to endeavour to remove the many
perplexities and embarraffments with which the navigation to the-
South-Seas is at prefent jieceffarily encumbered. An effort of’ this-
kind could not fail o f proving highly honourable to themfelves*.
and extremely beneficial to their country:- for it fee ms to be iuffi-
csiently evident, that whatever improvements navigation.fhall receive,.
either by the invention of. methods that fhall render its,
pradlice lefs hazardous, or by the more accurate delineation of the
coafts, roads, and ports already known,,or by-the difcovery o f new
nations, or new fpecies of, commerce ; itfeems, I.fay, fufficiehtly
evident, that, by whatever means navigation .is promoted, the conveniences
hence arifing mu ft ultimately redound to the emolument
of Great-Brita'm fince, as,, our fleets are at prefent fuperior ta-
thofe of the whole world united, it muft be a matchlefs degree, of
fupinenefs or mean-fpiritednefs, if we permitted any of the.advantages
which new difcoveries, or a- more extended navigation, may,
produce to. mankind,, to be ravifhed from us.
As,. therefore, it appears, that all our future expeditions to the;
South-Seas muft run a confiderable rlfque of proving abortive, whilft,.
in our palfage thither, we are under the.neceffitv of touching at:
Brazil-, the difcovery of fome place more to the fouthward,where
fhips might refrefh and fupply themfelves with the neceffary fea-
ftock for their voyage round Cape Horn, would be an expedient
which would relieve us from this,embanaffment,.and would furely
4, he’
be a. matter worthy of the attention o f the public. Nor does this
feem difficult to be effefted ; for we have already the imperfect
.knowledge of two places, which might, perhaps, on examination,
prove extremely convenient for this purpofe: one of them is Pe-
fy s’ s Ifland, in the latitude of 47° South, and laid down by Dr. Halley
about eighty leagues to the eaftw-ard of Cape Blanco, on the
•coaft of Patagonia; the other is Palkland’s Ifles, in the latitude of
51» i lying nearly South -of Pepys’s Ifland. The firft of thefe was
difcovered by Captain -Cowley, in his Voyage round the World, in
the year 1686 ; who reprefents it as a commodious place for fhips
to wood and water at, and fays, it is provided with a very good and
eapaciou-s harbour, where a thoufand fail of fhips might ride at
.anchorin great fafety; that it abounds with fowls; and that, as the
fhore is-either rocks or fends, it feems to promife great plenty of
€fli. The lecond place, or Falkland's Ifles, have been feen by many
fhips, both French and Englijh, being the land laid down by Fre-
zier, in his Chart of the extremity, o f South-America, under the
title of the New IJlands. Woods Rogers, who ran along the N. E .
coaft of thefe Ifles in the year 1708, tells us, that they extended
about two degrees in length, and appeared with gentle defcents
from hill to h i l l ; and feemed to be good ground, interfperfed with
woods,- and not deftkute of harbours. Either of thefe places, as
they are Iflands at a confiderable diftancefrom the Continent, may
be fuppofed, from their latitude, to lie in a climate fufficiently
temperate. It is true, .they are too little known to be, at prefent,
recommended as the meft eligible places of refrefliment for fhips
bound to the fouthward; but i f the Admiralty -ihould think it ad-
Vifeable to order them to be fcrveyed, which may be done at a
very -final! expence, by a veffel fitted out on purpofe ; and if, on
this examination, one or both of thefe places ihould appear proper
for the purpofe intended, it « fcarcely to be conceived of what
prodigious import a convenient ftation mightprove, fituated io far
to the fouthward, and fo near Cape Horn. The Duke and Duchefi
o f Brijlol were but thirty-five days from their lofing .fight of
Falkland’s Ifles to their arrival at Juan Fernandes in the South-Seas -
N 2 Alld