>76S‘ at Port Egmont; and in this account I am Pure I am not
\---- .---- » miitaken, for I frequently failed within two miles o f the
s»n ay w- fil0re. fQ that i f there had been a fhrub as. big as a goofe-
herry bufh, I fhould have feen it. During the night we had
forty fathom water with rocky ground.
Monday 28. The next morning, at four o’clock, we made fail, the low-
flat cape then bearing S. E. by E. diftant five leagues: at half
an hour after five it bore S. S. E. diftant two leagues ; and we
then fleered from it E. S. E. five leagues, to three low rocky
iflands, which lie about two miles from the main. From
thefe iflands we fleered S. S. E. four leagues, to. two other low
iflands, which lie at the diftance o f about one mile from the
main. Between thefe iflands the land forms a very deep
found, which I called Berkeley ’s Sound. In the fouth pa«
o f this found there is an opening, which has the appearance
o f a harbour,' and about three or four miles to the fouth-
ward of the fouth point of it, at the diftance o f about four
miles from the main, fome rocks appear above the water
upon which the fea breaks very high, there being here a
great fwell from the fouthward. When we were abreaft o f
thefe breakers, we fleered S. W. by S. about two leagues,
when the fouthermoft land in fight, which I took to be the
fouthermoft part o f Falkland’s Iflands, bore W. S. W. diftant
five leagues. The coaft now began to be very dangerous,
there being, in all directions, rocks and breakers at a
great diftance from the fhore.. The country alfo inland had
a more rude and defolate appearance; the high ground, as
far as we could fee, being all barren, craggy rocks, very
much refembling that part of Terra del Fuego which lies
near Cape Horn. As the fea now role every moment, I was
afraid o f being caught here upon a lee fhore, in which cafe
there would have been very little chance o f my getting off,
and
and therefore I tacked and flood to the northward? the lati- 176$.
tude of the fouthermoft point in fight being about 52' 3'S. . Jan"ary‘ .
As we had now run no lefs than feventy leagues along the Mo’ day
coaft o f this ifland it muft certainly be o f very confiderable
extent. It has been faid by fome former navigators to be
about two hundred miles in circumference, but I inade no
doubt of its being nearer fevfcn. Having hauled the wind,
I flood to the northward about noon; the entrance o f Berkeley’s
Sound at three o’clock bore S. W. by W. diftant about
fix leagues. At eight in the evening, the wind fhifting to
theS.W. We flood to fhe weftward.
vo l . r. f C H A P .