1795- about eight in the evening we Ihortened fail, and hauled our wind on the
{larboard tack, as the ifland now extended by compafs from N.3-W. to
Friday 3. N. 35.W, at the diftance of about 5 leagues ; at day-light the next morning'we
made fail for St. Helena bay, and about fix o’clock we had the
happinefs of difcovering die Chatham in the fouth-eaftern quarter. As we
were now fall approaching a port, from whence it was reafonable to ex-
peft that opportunities would frequently occur, during the time of our
re-equipment there, to communicate, with our friends in England, I
deemed it expedient that the order fhould be publicly read, which I had
received from the Lords of the Admiralty, direfting me to demand the
log books and journals which had been kept, and the charts, drawings,
&c." which had been executed by the officers, petty officers, and gentlemen
on board the Difcovery; and directing alfo, that I fhould enjoin
them and the whole of the crew not to divulge where they had been, until
they fhould have permiffion fo to do : and a copy of this order was fent to
Mr. Puget, with my directions to enforce the fame on board the Chatham
alfo.
As we approached the bay of St. Helena, I had the mortification to
fee a fleet of large fhips Handing out, and apparently bound to the
northward. This fleet I confidered to be from the Eaft Indies,: and that
it was moll probably bound to England, under the protection o f which I
fhould have been happy to have performed the remainder of our voyage;
for we were in no fituation to contend with the enemies fhips of equal
force, nor to have efcaped from thofe of fuperior weight of metal. At
half paft eight o’clock we anchored in 16 fathoms water, and moored
with a cable each way. In the bay of St. Helena we found the Arniflon
Eafl Indiaman, and an American brig. After faluting the fort with thirteen
guns, which were returned, accompanied by Mr. Puget, I paid my
compliments to the governor, and underflood from him, that the fleet of
fhips which we had feen depart from the ifland as we had approached.it
in the morning, was, as I had imagined, a fleet of Eafl Indiamen, together
with feveral fail of Dutch prizes under the convoy of His Majefty’s..
{hip Sceptre, commanded by Captain Ellington.
I was
I was received by the governor of St. Helena with his accuflomed po- yjs-
Iitenefs, and having underflood from him that hoflilities had taken place 1---- -—
between the court of London, and the united flates o f Holland, I fent
an officer on board a Dutch Eafl Indiaman which I had perceived to be
coming into the bay, and took poffeffion of her as a prize.
The great plenty of excellent refrefhments with which we had been
fupplied during our refidence amongft our very hofpitable friends at
Valparaifo, had not only eradicated every appearance of the fcurvy before
our departure from that port, but had fo completely re-eflablifhed
the health of every individual bn board (myfelf excepted) that although
we had now been fifty-eight days at Tea, during which time we
had experienced much bad weather, particularly in that part of the
paffage as we. had approached the weflern coafl of Patagonia, and until
we had palled round cape Horn and prbceeded fome diftance to the
north-eaftward; and had alfo been obliged to make great exertions, and
to endure great fatigue, owing to the repeated accidents that had befallen
our fails and rigging, and the additional labour at the pumps confequent
bn the leak in the fore part of the velfel; I had the inexprelfible happinefs
of feeing all my officers and men return to a Britilh fettlement, after
an abfence from England of more than four years and a quarter, perfectly
Well in health, and with conftitutions apparently unimpared by the
extremely laborious fervice in which they had been fo long employed,
and-ho which without a murmur they had, at all times, and in all weather,
uniformly fubmitted with great zeal and alacrity. ,
Notwithftanding that I had the additional fatisfaftion to hear, from Mr.
Puget, that the crew of the Chatham were now in a convalefcent Hate, yet
I was much concerned to become acquainted that their health, as well
as that of the officers, had fuffered very materially indeed in their
late paffage from Valparaifo, Although, previoufly to our departure
from that port, every precaution within our power had been taken to
make both veffeis as equal as it were poffible to the talk which they
had to perform at the then advanced feafon of the year, through fo
tempeftuous and'inhofpitable a region; yet the fmallnefs of the Chatham
had made her more liable to the influence of the bad weather
V ol. III. 3 P * a n ,