A V O Y A G E R O U N D T H E W O R LD .
•which made the water foam all round them. The prodigious
quantity of power required to raife fuch a vaft creature
out of the water is aftonifhing ; and their peculiar
oeconomy cannot hut give room to many reflections.
The boat which the captain had fent to Succefs Bay returned
about fix o’clock in the evening. The lieutenant
acquainted us that his boat had been followed into the bay
by many feals, and fome whales, upon one of which the
boat narrowly efcaped ftriking. He had not found the
lead fign at the watering-place of any European fliip having
lately paffed this way ; but on landing, feveral natives met
him well dreffed in guanacoe-lkins, and large cloaks of
feal-fkins, with a much more chearful and happy countenance,
than the poor tribe whom we had left at Ch'riftmas
Sound. They had bracelets of reed, with filver-wire
wrapped about it, to which they often pointed, pronouncing
the word pajferay, and feeming to fet no value on any thing
our people had to offer. It was concluded that they had
received thefe ornaments from the Spaniards, either by
means of fliips which had touched at this bay, or indiredily
through the hands of other tribes to the north of the ftrait
of Magelhaens. After flaying oh fhore two or three minutes,
our people re-embarked, and camp on board. We
continued our courfe through the Strait of Le Maire, and the
next morning ran along the fhore of Staten Land, which
yvas wrapped in thick fogs. Later in the day the fog cleared
a little
a little away, and gave us a view of the land, which con- dec”m4b£r.
filled of mountains, to the full as craggy and barren as-
•thofe of the weft coaft of Tierra del Fuego, though not fo
high, and therefore lefs covered with fnow. Several ifiands,
about thirty yards perpendicular in height, lay off this
coaft, and feemed entirely covered with grafs at the top.
Great numbers- of feals were feen about them ; and as captain
Cook was in want of oil, he thought he fhould have-
the bed opportunity of providing himfelf with this article,,
by coming to an anchor fomewhere in the neighbourhood.
Thefe ifiands were feen by father Feuillee, who has given a
map of them in his Voyage to Peru, which we found to be-
very erroneous. After turning round them, we perceived
a fnug harbour on Staten Land, but captain Cook did nos
ehoofe to put in there, becaufe he was of opinion he might
be detained in it by contrary winds. He therefore preferred-
anchoring under the lee of one of the low iilands ; and as
the 31ft of December ended at noon, according to the nautical
reckoning, he gave thefe ifiands the name of New
Year’s Iilands, and the harbour on Staten Land, that of New
Year’s Harbour.
C H A P..