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April 1830. S P E C I M E N S — C H A N T I C L E E R — M I S T A K E . 433
on ; but, having the chronometer and a sextant to take care of,
I waited till one of the men returned with a lantern. A ll
reached the boat before nine o’clock, without losing or injuring
any thing; but the cargo of stones, for specimens, which each
brought back, delayed our returning progress materially.
“ At day-light (21st) we launched and stowed our boat,
and set out on our return. We reached the ship that afternoon,
well laden with fragments of Cape Horn.
“ 22d. Since the end of March the weather had been more
settled, and much finer than we had yet had it on any part of
the coast; but our visit to Horn Island was only just in time,
for it soon changed again to blowing and raining. Being close
to the head of the cove, we did not feel the williwaws— though
they appeared to blow sharply enough about the middle of it.
I did not wonder at the American, whom we met in the Strait
of Magalhaens, saying that he saw ‘ marks of a very large
establishment;’ for the head of this cove appeared to have been
colonized by the Chanticleer, so many remains of wooden roads
and wooden houses were visible every where.
“ 23d—24th. Bad weather. I was waiting anxiously for an
opportunity of getting a true bearing of Diego Ramirez, from
the top of Kater Peak, or Cape Spencer, to cross the bearings
obtained from Henderson Island.
“ 25th. I went up to the summit of the Peak, but found so
thick a haze, that no distant object could be seen. Leaving
the instruments at the top, after taking a few angles, and observations
of the sun for true bearings, I descended, and afterwards
examined St. Bernard Cove, which appeared to be a
good harbour. By comparing the old charts with this place
and Nassau Bay, I became convinced that there had been a
great mistake, and that the Bay of Nassau is, or rather was,
the bay of St. Francis; and that the plan given in the Admi/
rally charts is a very fair sketch of its west side, from False
Cape to Packsaddle Island; but the bottom and east side of
the bay are evidently put in at random, and would have been
better left out to give place to the words, ‘ Land was seen in
this direction.’ Neither in .shape, bearings, distance, or
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