C H A P . V I .
H>e>Pajfage through. the Straight af .Magellan as, far Us
. 'Cape Monday, with d Defriptionof feveral Bays’and
~ Harbours,1 Jottiikdbf'flsdGot0'phl&ttb''Si£e.
WE continued to make,jCaiJrfor, Ifeift Defire til| W,ednef-
day: the 6th of February, when about one o’clock in
the afternoon we faw land, and flood in for the Port. During;
the run from Falkland’s Iflands to this place, the number o f
whales about the fhip was fo great as to render the navigation
dangerous; we were very near ftriking upon one, and'
another blew the water in upon the quarter deck: they were
much larger than any we had feen. As we were ftanding;
in for Port Defire, w e faw the Florida, a ftore-Chip chat we expected
from England; and at four we came to an anchor o f f
the harbour’s mouth.
The next morning, Mr. Dean, the Matter o f the flore-fhip,
came on board; and finding from his report that his fore-
matt was fprung, and his fhip little better than a wreck, I
determined to go into the harbour, and try to unload her
there, although the narrownefs o f the place, and the rapidity
o f the tides, render it a very dangerous fituation. We
got in in the evening, but it blowing very hard in the night,
both the Tamar and the ftore-lhip made fignals of diftrefs; I
immediately fent my boats to their afliftance, who found
that, notwithftanding they were moored, they had been
driven up the harbour, and were in the greateft danger of
7 - being
being on fir ore. They wercgot off, not without grcatdifficul- 1765.
ty, andrhe very next njght they drove again, and were again .Febr-ary'f
faved by the-fame efforts, from the fapie^danger., As I .now Tf“?rf<iay7-
found that the ftore-fhip was continually driving about the
harbour, and every momentin danger of being loft, I gave up,
with whatever reluctance, my defign o f taking the provifions
out o f her, and fent all our carpenters on board, to fifh the
matt, and make Rich other repairs as they could. I alfo lent
hér my forge to complete fuch ironwork as they wanted,
and determined, the moment fhe was in a condition to put
tp fea, to take her with us into the Streight o f Magellan', and
unload her there. While this was doing, Captain Mouat;
who commanded the Tamar, informed me that his rudder
was fprung, and that he had reafon to fear it would in a
fhprt time become wholly unferviceable. Upon this I ordered
the carpenter o f the Dolphin on board the Tamar, to
examine the rudder, and he reported it to be fo bad that in
his opinion the veffel could not proceed in her voyage without
a new one. A new one however it was not in our
power to procure at this place, and I therefore defired Captain
Mouat-to get his forge on fhore, and fecure his rudder
with iron clamps in the beft manner he could, hoping that
in the Streight a piece o f timber might be found which
would furnifh him with a better.
On Wednefday the 13th, the flore-fhip being ready for fea, Wedner. ,3.
I put on board her one of my petty- officers, who was well
acquainted with the Streight,- and three or four o f niy.fea-,
men to affift in navigating her; I alfo lent hér,two o f my
boats, and took thofe belonging to her, which werp ftavèdy
on board to get them repaired,- and then I.ordered, her
Matter, to put to fea dire&ly, and, make the,bett-of his
way to Port Famine; though I did not doubt but that I
I s fhould