1767- deepened to 16 fathom. In the afternoon I fent out the mailer
■ , to examine the bay and a large lagoon; and he reported that
Friday 23. t]le iag00n was the molt commodious harbour we had yet
feen in the Streight, having five fathom at the entrance, and
from four to five in the middle; that it was capable o f receiving
a great number o f vefiels, had three large frelh
water rivers, and plenty o f wood and celery. We had here
the misfortune to have a feine fpoiled, by being entangled
with the wood that lies funk at the mouth of thefe rivers ;
hut though we caught but little fifh, we had an incredible
number o f wild ducks, which we found a very good fucce-
daneum.
The mountains are here very lofty, and the mailer o f the
Swallow climbed one o f the higheft, hoping that from the
fummit he Ihould obtain a fight of the South S ea ; but he
found his view intercepted by mountains Hill higher on the
fouthem Ihore: before he defcended, however, he eredled
a pyramid, within which he depofited a bottle containing a
Hulling, and a paper on which was written the Iliip’s name
and the date o f the y e a r ; a memorial which polfibly may
remain there as long as the world endures.
Saturday 24. In the morning o f the 24th we took two boats and examined
Cordes bay, which we found very much inferior to
that in which the fhip lay ; it had indeed a larger lagoon,
but the entrance o f it was very narrow, and barred by a
Ihoal, on which there was not fufficient depth of water for a
fhip o f burden to float: the entrance of the bay alfo was
rocky, and within it the ground was foul.
In this place we faw an animal that refembled an afs, but
it had a cloven hoof, as w e difcovered afterwards by tracking
it, -and'was as fwift as a deer. This was the firll animal we
had feen in the Streight, except at the entrance, where we
found
R O U N D T H E W O R L D . t69
■ found the guanicoes that we would fain have trafficked for 7767.
with the Indians. We fliot at this creature, but we could , Jaau,r>'- ^
not hit i t ; probably it is altogether unknown to the natura-
lifts o f Europe.
The country about this place has the moll dreary and forlorn
appearance that can be imagined; the mountains on
each fide the Streight are o f an immenfe height: about one
fourth o f the afcent is covered with trees o f a confiderable
f iz e ; in the fpace from thence to the middle o f the mountain
there is nothing but withered fhrubs; above thefe are patches
o f fnow, and fragments o f broken rock ; and the fummit
is altogether rude and naked, towering above the clouds in
vail crags that are piled upon each other, and look like the
ruins of Nature devoted to everlafting fterility and defolation.
We went over in two boats to the Royal Iflands, and
founded, but found no bottom : a very rapid tide fet through
wherever there was an opening; and they cannot be approached
by fhipping without the moil imminent danger.
Whoever navigates this part o f the Streight, Ihould keep the
north Ihore clofe on board all the way, and not venture
more than a mile from it till the Royal Iflands are palled.
The current fets eafterly through the whole four and twenty
hours, and the indraught Ihould by all means be avoided.
The latitude o f Cape Gallant road is 53» so S.
We continued in this Ration; taking in wood and water,
and gathering mufcles and herbs, till the morning o f the Tuefday i7,
s ” th, when a boat that had been fent to.try. the current, returned
with an account that it fet nearly at the, rate of two
miles an hour, but that the wind being northerly, we might
probably get round to Elizabeth bay or York road before
night; we therefore weighed with all expedition.. At noon
on the 28th, the well ppint o f Cape Gallant bore.W. N. W & i , 2 i diftant