■ 774- from the ifle of Landfall The coaft between them forms
, ecem^er.^ bays, ftrewed with rocky iflots, rocks, and breakers.
Sunday 18. The coaq appeared very broken with many inlets ; or
rather it feemed to be compofed of a number of iflands.
The land is very mountainous, rocky, and barren, fpotted,
here and there, with tufts of wood, and patches of fnow.
At noon Cape Gloucefter bore North, diftant eight miles,
and the moft advanced point of land to the S. E., which we
judged to be Cape Noir, bore S. E. by S., diftant feven or
eight leagues. Latitude obferved 540 13' S. Longitude,
made from Cape Defeada, 54' Eaft. From Cape Gloucefter,
off which lies a fniall rocky ifland, the direction of the
coaft is nearly S. E. ; but to Cape Noir, for which we fleered,
the courfe is S. S. E., diftant about ten leagues.
At three o’clock, we palled Cape Noir, which is a fteep rock
of confiderable height, and the S. W. point of a large ifland
that feemed to lie detached, a league, or a league and a half,
From the main land. The land of the Cape, when at a diftance
fromit, appeared to be an ifland disjoined from the other; but,
on a nearer approach, we found it connected by a low neck
.of land. At the point of the Cape are two rocks ; the one
peaked like a fugar-loaf, the other not fo high, and fhewing
a rounder furface; and S. by E., two leagues from the Cape,
are two other rocky iflots. This Cape is lituated in the latitude
of 540 30' S., longitude 73°; 33' Weft.
After palling the two iflots, we fleered E. S. E., crofting the
great bay of St. Barbara. We but juft faw the land in the
bottom of-it ; which could not be lefs than feven or eight
leagues from us. There was a fpaçe, lying in the direction
of E. N. E. from Cape Noir, where no land was to be feen:
this may be the Channel of St..Barbara, which opens into the
Straits
Straits of Magalhaens, as mentioned by Frezier. We found D<JS^er_
t h e C a p e to agree very well with his defcription; whichfhews s
that he laid down the channel from good memoirs. At ten
o’clock, drawing near the S. E. point of the bay, which lies
nearly in the direction of S. 6o° Eaft from Cape Noir, eighteen
leagues diftant, we Ihortened fail, and fpent the night Handing
off and on.
At two o’clock in the morning of the 19th, having made Monday 19.
fail, we fleered S. E. by E. along the coaft, and foon palled the
S. E. point o f the Bay of St. Barbara, which I called Cape De-
fblation ; becaufe near it commenced the moft defolate and
barren country I ever faw. It is lituated in the latitude of
540 55' South, longitude 72° 12' Weft. About four leagues to
the Eaft of this Cape is a deep inlet, at the entrance o f which
lies a pretty large ifland, and fome others of lefs note. Nearly
in this lituation fome charts place a channel leading into the
Straits of Magalhaens, under the name o f Straits of Jelouzel.
At ten o’clock, being about a league and an half from the
land, we founded, and found lixty fathoms water, a bottom
of fmall Hones and Ihells.
The wind, which had been frelh at N. by W., began to
abate, and at noon it fell calm, when we obferved in latitude
55s so' South, longitude made from Cape Defeada 30 24' E.
In this lituation we were about three leagues from the neareft
Ihore, which was that of an ifland. This I named Gilbert
Hie, after my mailer. It is nearly of the fame height with
the reft of the coaft, and fhews a furface compofed of feveral
peaked rocks unequally high. A little to the S. E. of it are
fome fmaller iflands, and, without them, breakers.
I have before obferved that this is the moft defolate coaft I
ever faw. It feems entirely compofed of rocky mountains
without