1767- the fea run more regularly from the S.W. and the wind
AF—' •-> foon after coming from S.S.W. to S.S.E. we had by noon
Wedne, 15. gQt a pretty gGOd offing, about nine leagues from Cape V ictory,
which is on the north Ihore. Thus we cleared the
weftern entrance o f this Streight, which, in my opinion, is
too dangerous for navigation; a deliverance which happened
in the very crifis of our fate, for almoft immediately afterwards
the wind came again to the S. W . and i f it had continued
in that quarter, our deftrudtion would have been
inevitable.
C H A P .
C H A P . II.
j-fy Paffage jrom Cafe Pillar, at the Wejlern Entrance of
the Streight of Magellan, to Mafafuero; with fomt
Account o f that I f and.
I TO O K my departure from Cape Pillar, which I make to 1767.
lie in the'latitude of 52° 45' S., and in the longitude 750
jo' W. o f the meridian of London, and as foon as I got clear " ed“ef' '5-
of the Streight, fleered to the northward along the coaft of
Chili. Upon examining what quantify o f frefh water we
had now on board, I found that it amounted only to between
four and five and twenty tons, which I thought not fufficient
for fo long a voyage as was probably before u s ; I therefore
hauled to the northward, intending to make the ifland of
Juan Fernandes, or Mafafuero, that we might increafe our
flock before we failed to the weftward.
In the middle of the night o f the 16th, we had the wind Thursday. 4.
firft to the S. S. E. and then to the S. E. with which we kept
away N. W. and N.N.W. in high fpirits, hoping that in a
fhort time wefh ould be in a more temperate climate: we
had the misfortune, however, very foon to find ourfelves
difappointed, for on the 18th, the wind came to the N.N.W. Saturday .8.
and blew direftly from the point upon which we were
fleering. We had now got about a hundred leagues from
the Streight’s mouth j our latitude was 48° 39 S., and we
were, by account, 4° 33' I f o f Cape Pillar; but from this
time, till the 8th o f May, the wind continued unfavourable,
and blew a continued florin, with fudden gufts ftill more
violent,