N o v em b e r . a d d l t I o n to which the Spanifh minifteds letter fet forth, that this bufineP.
' r r ^ T ' ' ,WaS noy ° be carried int° execution by me, as a fre(h commiffion had
over™ not be6n lffued for 4 »s purpofe by the Court of London* The fame was
thefcfreihS anno"nced governor Borica by the new viceroy of Mexico, the Marj
S S S : I “’3 Bra"Cllorte’ wkh “ ruBioris to receive-the perfon afting under
ed in thefirft tins coniniimon into their Prefidio’s.
me. '° Having maturely confidered the feveral parts o f this intelligence, I
concluded that from the length of our voyage, and the various accidents
to which the fervice in which we were employed would' necelfarily render
us liable, Government did not expea we Ihould remain longer' in
thefe feas, than the furvey of the American coaft might require; and in
truth we were not now in a fit condition to protract our flay-in thefe
regions.
The very exhaufted ftate of our ftores and provifions not only demanded
fuch fupplies as were not eafily within our reach, but as
the Difcovery had been frequently aground, it was highly probable
that her bottom might Hand in need of fome very material repair, o f
which we had remained intirely ignorant, not having been fo fortunate
as to meet with a proper fituation for the purpofe of-her undergoing this
neceffary examination.
One of the great objefts o f our voyage, the furvey of the -coaft o f
North Weft America, being nbw accomplished, and relying on the authenticity
of the. intelligence I had derived from Sen': Alava, I did not
long hefitate, but determined on making the bell of my way towards
England, by the way of cape Horn, agreeably to my inftruftions; and
as I had no intention of vifiting any part of the American coaft to the
northward of the 44th degree-of fouth latitude, I purpofed that our courfc
from hence Ihould he directed towards that latitude without flopping, un-
lefs we fhould be fo fortunate as to fall in with the Gallapagos iflands,
whofe undefined fituation I much wiftied correftlyto afeertain; and'of
courfe it would neceffarily be fome time before we reached bur next refting
place. On this account it became highly expedient that we fhould fail
from hence with as great a quantity o f water as we might be enabledto
procure,' for the reception of which the coopers were directed to repair,
and
and put into order every cafk on board capable of holding water ; in many No‘™4-^
cafes this was attended with great trouble, from the length of time they 1---- ----- <
had been in ufe, and the hard fervice that many of them had endured.
. Although the very great diftance, and the badnefs of the road we had
to pafs in getting the water down ,to the fea-fide, made the obtaining of
this indifpenfable article a very tedious and fatiguing bufinefs, yet as we
were in the mean time benefiting from the.air, the exercife of the fhore,
and the: excellent refrefhments of the country, I could not confider our
detention here as a lofs of time, becaufe I was affured that it would be
attended with the ineftimable advantage of fecuring to us all, that ftate o f
health which the remainder of our voyage we had yet to perform homewards,
would neceffarily require.
Some doubts having arifen in my mind, as to the fafe arrival in England
of the copies (which I had forwarded thither): o f our fui'vey of the
American coaft to the northward, from Fitzhugh’s found to cape Deci-
fion, and fouthward from this port to the 30th degree of north latitude
I deemed it expedient ;that a duplicate of the former papers, together
with a copy of our furvey during the preceding fummer, as alfo that of
the Sandwich iflands, fhould from hence be tranfmitted to the Admiralty ;
that in the, event of any mifchance having befallen the others; or any
unfortunate accident happening .hereafter to us, our labours might not
be intirely loft to our country. The like information, in conformity to
my original promife to my much-lamented friend the late Sent Quadra,
had been folicited by Sen'- Alava, for the ufe and information of the
Spanifh court, and with which of courfe I complied. The preparation
of thefe documents would neceffarily occupy fome time; but I had
little doubt of their being finifhed by the time we fhould in other re-
fpects be ready to depart.
The deferters from the Chatham and Daedalus had', at my requeft, been
delivered up to me, at leaft fuch of them as. were the fubjefts of Great
Britain. An account of expences, amounting to three hundred and
twenty-five dollars and an half, was exhibited againft them ; but as I did
not confider myfelf authorized to. difeharge this debt, (though of its
having been incurred by the deferters, I could entertain no doubt) of
which