1795-' part of my fecret inftru&ions relative to the matter in queftion. Thefe
March. ~ . ' . ' - 1
<•— v-— > having been maturely taken into their confideration, they were unani-
moufly of opinion,1 that for the- good of His Majefty’s fervice intruded to
my care and execution, and for the prefervation of His Majefty’s fhip, it
was indifpenfably neceffary that the Difcovery Ihould immediately repair
to the nearefl port, for the purpofe of procuring a new main-maft; fince
1 the difabled one, with every repair that it was pollible. to give, it, .would
ftill be very inadequate to the fervice that might be demanded of it in thofe
boifterous feas, which at this feafon of the year we mult neceflarily ex-
pe£t to encounter in palling round cape Horn.
The port of Valparaifo feeming to be the moll likely to fupply our
wants, and being the nearelt to us, our courfe was direfled thither with
a frelh northerly breeze, and fair and pleafant weather. At noon the
obferved -latitude was .33° 5 5 '1 fouth, the longitude by
Arnold’s chronometer, No. 14, - ' 2? 7lS3-6'
1761 . 276 3 1
Kendall’s ditto 277 32
And by the dead reckoning, • - 284 »9
And the variation of the compafs was 10 (
About four o’clock in the afternoon the illand o f Maffafuero was feen
bearing by compafs e . n . e . , 11 or 12 leagues diftant. The wind at this
time blowing a frelh breeze rather to ealtward of north, our courfe Was
direfled to the fouthward of this illand; but from its dillance, and the
approach of night, we were unable to fee much of it. At midnight we
were palling within about 4 leagues of its fouthern fide, its centre then
bearing by compafs n. 15-W. The latitude, o f the Ihip by the log fince
noon was at this time 34° 3' fouth, the longitude by Arnold’s No. 14,
according to the laft rate was 278° 56', and by the lunar obfervations
brought forward by No. 14, allowing the fame rate, 279° 17'; but as
the chronometers were. evidently gaining, and that, very materially, the
true longitude of this illand was deduced from fubfeqttent obfervations,
which (hewed its centre to be in 2790 26' eaft. Its latitude from the
preceding and following' days obfervations, which with the Ihip’s run
agreed exceedingly well together, was 330 49' fouth. This illand did not
appear
appear to exceed 3 leagues in circuit: its furface is hilly, rugged, and -V95^
uneven, and, it appeared to terminate abruptly in rocky cliffs at the 1 v '
water’s edge. During the night we had a frelh breeze with fome fqualls,
which continued the next morning, • when the jury maintop-fail yard-was Saturday a n
carried aWay; not in confequence of a prefs'of fail, but like many others
of our materials, from being quite worn out and rotten. This was- immediately
replaced with another, of whofe llrength and qualities we had
not a much, better opinion. At about ten in the forenoon the illand of
Juan Fernandez was feen bearing by compafs n . 60 e . The latitude was
Ihewn by obfervations at noon to be 33° 56' fouth, longitude by
Arnold’s No. 14, . - - 280“ 16 3°
176, - - 279-'18--
Kendall’s,. ... ■ - - - .280 15
By the lad lunar obfervations brought forward
by No. 14, I - - - 1"". 28c 36 307.’
And .by the dead reckoning, - 1 ; ’ 286 51
The variation of the compafs at this time,. 13 eallwardly.
We had fenfibly felt the influence of a current during the two laft days,
fettirtg to the ealtward at .the rate of ten miles per day. In this fituation
the fouth-weft point of Juan Fernandez, or rather what we fuppofed to
be Goat illand, bore by compafs n . 39 e . , at the dillance of 18 miles.
.In the afternoon we palled the. fouthern lide o f Juan Fernandez, at the
dillance of about 14 miles, which was too indiftinftly feen to attempt any
delineation of its Ihores. Its fouth-weft point appeared by our calculations
to be fituated in latitude 33° 45' fouth, and longitude corrected by
fubfequent'obfervations, 281° 8’ 47'//.eaft. Its afpeft in this point of view
was not: very inviting; the point terminates in a high deep bluff, its eaft-
ern part feemed to be lefs elevated, and the whole compofed a group of
broken irregular hills, forming altogether as rude and grotefque a feene
as the imagination can well fancy.
The wind feeming now to be fixed in the northern quarter,, and being
to the fouthward of our port, our courfe was direfled to regain the parallel
of its latitude ; this was accompli (hed by monday. noon, being then
by obfervation in latitude 32° 55’ fouth, true longitude 285° 30 ; the
wind