C H A P T E R VI.
Quit Valparaifo— Proceed to thefouthward— Pafs to the fouth o f cape Horn
_Ufelefsfearchforthe ijla Grande— Part company with the Chatham—
Arrive at St. Helena— Join the' Chatham there— Leave St. Helena— Capturé
the Macajfar. Dutch Eafi India Man— Proceed to the northward—
Difcaver anumber o f vejfels under .convoy o f His Majeftys Jhip Sceptre-
Join the convoy, and proceed with it to the Shannon— Difcovery proceeds
from thence to the river Thames.— AJtronomical and nautical ohfervations.
May. , H AV IN G appointed with Mr. Puget our next rendezvous to be at
St. Helena, with a frelh breeze varying between s. s.w. and s. by- E.,
Thurfday 7. we left the bay of Valparaifo, and paffed the point of Angels, fteering
to the w . s.w. The weather was clear and pleafant, yet a heavy fwell
from the s. s.w. indicated very boifterous weather in that quarter; the
wind, however, continued to blow a gentle gale from the fouth-weftern
quarter, with which we made confiderable; progrefs. From the extremely
worn-out Hate of our fails, the foretopmaft ftayfail fplit, and
on a furvey of our other fails and cables, we were under the necelfity of
condemning a bell bower cable, a foretopfail, and main topmaft ftayfail,
which were unbent, and replaced by others that could fcarcely be con-
fidered to be in a much more ferviceable condition.
Saturday g. The obferved latitude, on faturday, was found to be 33° 21' fouth,
the longitude, by Arnold’s chronometer, No. 14, 282° 5 '; by No. 176,
282° 3 ? 30"; by Kendall’s, 282° 6' 45"; and by the dead ‘ reckoning
282° 25'; the variation of the compafs 13°15' eaftwardly. The wind
veered for a few hours to the north-weft, and blew a frelh gale, with
which we direfted our courfe towards the s. s, e., until it returned to its
former
former fouth-weftern quarter, when \ye (hould have been able .to have p o made
great progfefs to the fouthward, had we not been repeated- >—
ly under the necelfity of Ihortening fail for the Chatham, which was far
a-ftern. Some petrels, and fix or eight pintados, were feen about the Tuefday 12.
Ihip, and two days; afterwards feveral large albatrolfes were obferved at
no great diftance. The weather continued to be pleafant until the igth, Tuefday 19.
when the wind changed to the north-weft, and was attended by very
thick difagreeable fqually weather. Our courfe was again direfted to
the s. s. e . ; and it gave me concern that we were not able to avail our-
felves of this favorable wind, without rilking a reparation from the Chatham
; for, notwithftanding the additional quantity of ballaft which Ihe
had taken on board at Valparaifo, (he did not appear to be improved
in her failing : about noon her fignal was made with a gun to make
more fail. The wind increafed from the weft and north-weft, accompanied
by very heavy fqualls of hail and rain ; in the courfe of the
night falfe fires were burnt, to denote our fituation to our confort,
and on the next forenoon her fignal was .again repeated to make more Wednef. 20.
fail; but as we ftill kept in'creafing our diftance from her, about noon
I ordered the mainfail to be hauled up, and a reef taken in each- of the
topfails. At this time, in latitude 50° 50' fouth ; longitude, by Arnold’s
No. 14, 280° 33' 45"; by No. 176, 281° 32'30"; by Kendall’s chronometer
280° 25' 30" ; and by the dead reckoning 281° 11'; the variation of
the compafs; was obferved to be 17° eaftwardly; and cape Noir to bear
-by compafs, according to the Spanilh charts, s. 42 e ., diftant 100
leagues, but, by our calculations, it bore by compafs s. 46 E., and was
at the diftance of 107 leagues.
As we proceeded to the fouthward the weather gradually changed for
the worfe, and the wind, which, with little interruption, had hitherto
been agreeable to our wilhes, now became turbulent, and blew at times
in very heavy fqualls; in one o f thefe, about three o’clock on friday Friday 22.
afternoon, we carried away the maintopfail {heet; this obliged us to
take in the fail; on the gale increafing the foretopfail was furled;
and, fearful of' any ferious accident, either to our main yard or mail, I
•direfted the mainfail to be taken in, and the topgallant yards and mails
V ol. III. 3 O to