Bel' dividing Tern? del Fuego is drawn from Frezier ; but Sir Francis
Drake, who firft difcovered Gape Horn, and the S. W. part of
Terra del Fuego, obfervedthat whole coaftto he divided by a great
number of inlets, all which, he conceived,, did communicate with,
the Straights of Magellan. And I- doubt not,, that,, whenever this
country is. thoroughly examined, this circumftariee will be verified,
and Terradel Fuego will be found to confift of feveral I {lands. ,
And, having mentioned Frezier fo often, I muft not omit warning
all future Navigators againft relying on the longitude o f
Streights, Le Make, or of any part of that coaft, laid down in his
chart; the,whole being from 8 to io degrees too far to the eall-
ward, if any faith can be given to the concurrent evidences of a
great number-of journals, verified, in feme particulars, by aftrono-
mical obfervation, Forinftance, Sir John Narborough places Cape
Virgin Mary in 65°: 42' of Weft longitude-from-the Lizard, that
is in about.7i04- from London. And the {hips of our fquadron, who
took their departure from St. Catherine's (where the longitude was
rectified by an obfetvation o f the eclipfe of the moon) found Cape
Virgin Mary to be from 70°!, to 724. from London, according to
their different reckonings : and fince there were no circumftances
in our run that could render it confiderably erroneous, it cannot
be efteemed in lefs than .71 degrees of -Weft longitude ; whereas
Frezier lays it down.,in lefs than 66 degrees from Paris, that is,
little more than 63 degrees from. London, which is doubtlefs 8 degrees
{horf of its truequantity.. Again, our fquadron. found. Cape
Virgin Mary and Streights Le Maire to-be not more than.2°{ different
in longitude, which in Frezier are diftant near 4 degrees r
fo that not only the longitude of. Cape St. Bartholomew is laid
down in him near 10 degrees too- little, but the coaft from the
Streights of Magellan to Streights Le Maire is enlarged to -near,
double its real-extent. .
But to have done with Frezier, w-hofe errors the importance o f
the fubjeft,, arid not a fondnefs for. cavilling, has obliged me to-
vemark. (though his. treatment of Dr. Halley might, on the prefent
occafioin,