About half an hour after we had call anchor, the natives
made feveral large fires a-breaft of the fhip, and at break of
day we faw about four hundred o f them encamped in a fine
green valley, between two hills, with their horfes feeding
befide them. About fix o’clock in the morning, the tide
being done, we got again under fa il: its courfe here is from
eaft to weft ; it rifes and falls thirty feet, and its ftrength is
equal to about three knots an hour. About noon there being
little wind, and the ebb running with great force, the Swallow,
who was a-head, made the fignal and came to an
anchor; upon which I did the fame, and fo did the ftore-
fhip, that was a-ftern.
As we faw great numbers o f the natives on horfeback
a-breaft of the fhip, and as Captain Carteret informed me that
this was the place where Commodore Byron had the conference
with the tall men, I fent the Lieutenants o f the Swallow
and the ftore-fhip to the fhore, but with orders not to
land, as the fhips were at too great a diftance to proteff
them. When thefe gentlemen returned, they told me that
the boat having lain upon her oars very near the beach, the
natives came down in great numbers, whom they knew to
be the fame perfons they had feen the day before, with many
others, particularly women and children; that when they
perceived our people had no defign to land, they feemed to
be greatly difap pointed, and thofe who had been on board
the fhip waded off to the boat, making figns for it to advance,
and .pronouncing the words they had been taught,
Englifhmen come on fhore,” very loud, many times; that
when they found they could not get the people to land, they
would fain have got into the boat, and that it was with great
difficulty they were prevented. That they prefented them
with
1766. -
December.
Wednef. 17.
Thurfday 18.
with fome bread, tobacco, and a few toys, pointing at the
fame time to fome guanicoes and oftriches, and making
figns that they wanted them as provifions, but that they
could not make themfelves underftood ; that finding they
could obtain no refreffiment, they rowed along the fhore in
fearch o f frefh water, but that feeing no appearance of a rivulet,
they returned on board.
At fix o’clock the next morning, we weighed, the Swallow
being ftill a-head, and at noon we anchored in Poffeflion
bay, having twelve fathom, with a clean fandy bottom.
Point Pofîèffion at this time bore eaft, difiant three leagues ;
the Afles Ears weft, and the entrance o f the Narrows S .W AW .:
the bottom of the bay, which was the neareft land to the
fhip, was diftant about three miles. We faw a great number
o f Indians upon the Point, and at night, large fires on the
Terra del Fuego fhore.
From this time, to the 2 ad, we had ftrong gales and heavy
feas, fo that we got on but flowly; and we now anchored in
18 fathom, with a muddy bottom. The Allés Ears bore
N. W. by W. 4- W. Point Poffeflion N. E. by E. and the point o f
the Narrows, on the fouth fide, S. S. W. diftant between three
and four leagues. In this fituation, our longitude, by ob-
fervation, was 70° 20'W. latitude 52° 30'S. The tide here
fets S. E. by S. and N. E. by N. at the rate o f about three
knots an hour ; the water rifes four and twenty feet, and at
this time it was high water at four in the morning.
In the morning of the 23d, we made fail, turning to windward,
but the tide was fo ftrong, that the Swallow was fet
one way, the Dolphin another, and the ftore-fhip a third
there was a frefh breeze, but not one o f the veffels would
anfwer her helm. We had various foundings, and faw the
rippling in the middle ground : in thefe circumftances,
V o l . F. Y fometimes
17^6.
December.
Friday 19.
Monday 22.
Tuefday 23,