‘ 794- its wefternfide a deep bay, between its north-weft and fouth-weft points,
December. . r ] • . ' , ,
^ — t which are about 5 leagues apart, m a direction N . 20 e . and s. 20 w . ; the
peaked mountain being the part whole fituation we were beft able to fix, is
in latitude 28° 8', longitude 244° 58'. From this mountain the ifland St.
Benito lies n. 65 w., at the diftance 'of twenty miles, and the ifland o f Nati-
vidad s. 4 e . , diftant fourteen miles. The latter appeared to be about four
miles long, in a s.E. and N.w. direftion, and, like the ifland of Cerros,
prefented a barren and dreary afpeft. Behind it was the point which we
had taken for Morro Hermofo, in latitude 27° 52', longitude 245“ 7'.
The channels round thefe iflands, and between them and the main land,
are, in the Spanilh charts, reprefented as clear and navigable; we were
not, however, fufficiently nigh to them to fatisfy ourfelves in this particular.
During the night our courfe was direfted more foutherly, which,
Wednef. 10. although it kept us within fight of the land, yet by the morning it had
increafed our diftance further from the coaft than I had reafon to expect,
from the way in which it has been laid down. We were now at the diftance
of 12 to 14 leagues, and whether the parts in fight were or were not
immediately on the fea lhore, it was not pdflible for us to determine, but
the lhore was. fufficiently marked to admit of our making the neceflary
obfervations, as we failed along it, for the object I had in view.; The
northernmoft point in fight at noon, being the fame land that had formed
the northern extremity ever fince the morning, bore by compafs N .
3 w., diftant 17 leagues, a particular high part, appearing to form the
north point of a bay or opening on the coaft, n. 17 E., at the fame diftance
; and what appeared to form a very confpicuous point, from
whence the coaft feemed to take a very eaftwardly turn, n. 25 E., diftant
13 leagues. In this fituation the obferved latitude was 26° 48', longitude
245° 26^'; and, if the above eftimations be correct, the latter point will
be found to lie in latitude 27° 20', longitude 245° 49'. Several turtles
were feen at this time on the furface of the fea, one of which was taken
by our fmall boat. Towards fun-fet the weather became cloudy,, the
wind veered to the fouthward, and threatened us with a heavy rain,
but by midnight the wind refumed its north-weft direftion, and the wea-
TWdayi). tjier became fair and pleafant. Not being in fight of the coaft on thurf-
l day
day morning-1 fteered more to the eaftward, and by day-light on the * 794-
x 2th we were within fight of a high round mountain, which we fuppofed 1__,— _>
was omthe main land of the peninfula, bearing by compafs n . e . ~ E . 1
The part of the ocean in which we had now arrived abounded with
bonitos, albicores, and various, other fifties of the.tropical regions, with a
great many turtles. Thefe feemed fo perfeftly indifferent to any interruption
that we occafioned them, either by pafling near to, or even over them,
that I was induced to fend, the fmall boat to take fome of them up, and
in about half an hour {he returned loaded with thirteen very fine green
ones; each weighing from feventy to two hundred pounds. They all
proved to be extremely good eating.' Some of them were ftuck with the
turtle peg, but moft of them were taken into the boat unhurt. The obferved
latitude at noon was 25° 11', longitude 2470 485-', and the variation
of the compafs 9° eaftwardly. The above high round mountain at this
time bore n . 30 e . , diftant 25 leagues, and land fuppofed by us to be an
ifland, s. 35 e . ; to the eaftward of which our courfe was direfted until
two in the afternoon, when our conjeftures were difcovered to have
been' ill founded; for, inftead of this land proving, to be an ifland, it
formed the weft point of a fpacious open bay, the contiguous fhores to
which were very low, and bounded by. breakers, whilft the more interior
country rofe in fmall detached hillocks, giving the whole from the deck
the appearance of a group of iflands, but from the maft-head it was
feen to be all connefted, for which reafon we hauled our wind, and
pafled to the weftward of this land, which, in every point of view, even
at a very little diftance, feemed to be infular, owing to the fownefs of the
land to the eaftward of the elevated part that forms the point, and which,
in a fouth-eaft and north-weft direftion, appeared to occupy an extent
of about five miles. It is higheft in the center, from whence its north-
weftern extremity fhoots out and defcends gradually to a low point of
land, with an even furface, but in every other part the acclivity was
fteep and irregular; and the furface, broken into deep chafms, terminates
at the water-fide in abrupt rocky cliffs. On its northern fide lies an iflet
with fome rocks at a little diftance from the fhore, on which there was-
an appearance of fome verdure and fertility, but where its furface was.
rocky