Saturday it*
Sunday i a.
At noon, this day, we were abreaft o f Cape Pillar, when,
a gale fpringing up at S. W. we were obliged to take down
our fmall fails, reef our top-fails, and haul clofe to the
wind: foon after it frefhened to the W. S. W. blowing right
in from the fea, and after making two boards, we had the
mortification to find that we could not weather the land on
either tack. It was now almoft dark, the gale increafed,
driving before it a hollow fwell, and a fog came on, with
violent rain -, we therefore got clofe under the fouth fhore,
and fent our boat a-head to find out Tuefday’s Bay, which is
faid by Sir John Narborough to lie about four leagues within
the Streight, or to find out any other place in which we
might come to an anchor. At five o’clock, we could no’t
fee the land, notwithftanding its extream height, though
we were within lefs than ha lf a mile o f it, and at fix, the
thicknefs of the weather having rendered the night fo dark
that we could not fee half the fhip’s length, I brought to for
the boat, and was indeed, with good reafon, under great
concern for her fafety: we hoifted lights, and every now
and then made a falfe fire, but ftill doubting whether they
could be feen through the fog and rain, I fired a gun every
half hour, and at laft had the fatisfaction to take her on
board, though fhe had made no difcovery either o f Tuefday’s
Bay, or any other anchoring-place. We made fail the reft
of the night, endeavouring to keep near the fouth fhore,
and our ground to the weftward as much as poffible; and as
foon as it was light the next morning, I fent the Mafter again,
out in the cutter, in fearch o f anchorage on the fouth fhore.
I waited in a ftate o f the moft painful fufpenfe for her return,
till five o’clock in the afternoon, fearing that we fhould be
obliged to keep out in this dangerous pafs another night,
but I then faw her founding a bay, and immediately flood
in after h e r : in a fhort time the Mafter came on board, and
to
to our unfpeakable comfort, reported that we might here J767-
come fafely to an anchor; this, with the help of our boat, i---- -—
was effected about fix o’clock, and I went down into my Sunda!' 12
cabbin to take fome reft: I had, however, fcarcely Jain down,
before I was alarmed with a univerfal fhout and tumult
among the people, all that were below running haftiiy upon
the deck, and joining the clamour of thofe above: I inftantly
flarted up, imagining that a guft had forced the fhip from
her anchor, and that fhe was driving out of the bay, but
when I came upon the deck, I heard the people cry out, the
Dolphin! the Dolphin! in a tranfport of furprize and joy
which appeared to be little fhort o f diftraftion : a few
minutes, however, convinced us that what had been taken
for a fail was nothing more than the water which had been
forced up, and whirled about in the air, by one of the violent
gufts that were continually coming off the high land, and
which, through the haze, had a moft deceitful appearance.
The people were for a few minutes fomewhat dejected by
their difappointment, but before I went down, I had the
pleafure to fee their ufual fortitude and cheerfulnefs return.
The little bay where we were now at anchor, lies about
three leagues E. by S. from Cape Pillar: it is the firft place
which has any appearance o f a bay within that Cape, and
bears S. by E. about four leagues from the ifland which Sir
John Narborough called Weftminfter Hall, from its refem-
blance to that building in a diftant view. The weftern point
o f this bay makes a very remarkable appearance, being a
perpendicular plane like the wall o f a houfe. There are
three iflands about two cables’ length within its entrance,
and within thofe iflands a very good harbour, with anchorage
in between twenty-five and thirty fathom, with a bottom
of foft mud. We anchored without the iflands, the paffage
Vox.. I. S f on