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gradually increases to this coast. From Cape San Diego the
flood tide sets north and west along the shore, from one knot to
three knots each hour, as far as twenty miles along shore ; and
the ebb in a contrary direction, bnt not so strongly, except in
San Vicente Bay. The flood in the Strait of Le Maire runs
about two knots in mid channel, more or less according to the
wind, and the ebb about one knot an hour. Perhaps, at times,
when a strong spring tide is retarded in its progress by a
northerly wind, there will be a dangerous overfall off Cape
San Diego, like the bores in some parts of the world.
“ The soundings are tolerably regular, and may give notice
of an approach to Staten Land, or to the N. E. coast, and may
guide a ship to the fairway of the strait; but I should not
place much confidence in them, near such a rocky coast as
that of Staten Land.
“ Good Success Bay is an excellent anchorage for vessels of
any size to stop in for wood or water; but it would not
answer if a vessel required to lie steady for repair, as a swell
frequently rolls in. It is quite safe, yet, in the winter season,
when easterly gales are common, no vessel should anchor so
near the head of the bay as she might in summer; for heavy
rollers at times (though rarely) set in. Fish we did not try to
get, not having spare time, and only a few birds were shot.
“ On the 8th, a very fine day with but little wind, we were
off the flat-topped hill, called the Table of Orozco ; and, from
the mast-head, I had an extensive view of the adjacent country.
About Success Bay and Bell Mount the land is high, but
north of Success Bay it slopes away towards Cape San Diego,
which is a long, low, projecting point. Thence, as far as I
could see, the N.E. coast extended, low, excepting a few hills
here and there, and unbroken by inlets; the country near it
being a pleasant looking hill and dale land, well wooded and
quite free from snow. I could distinguish a snow-covered
chain of mountains which must have lain near Admiralty
Sound, the country on this side of them appearing to be a continued
succession of liill and valley, with only a few of the
hills capped with snow, although this was the depth of winter.
Smoke was seen at but one place, about two miles inland. In
the evening we got a breeze off shore, and stood along the
coast, the moon shining brightly and the weather being fine.
I kept rather close to the land, during the night, in order to be
near the entrance of the supposed St. Sebastian Channel in
the morning.
“ At midnight Cape Santa Inez ivas distant from us
three or four miles, but thence we saw very little of the land,
till three, near Cape Peñas, after which the weather became
thick, and the wind drew round to the N.E., which made
me keep more off shore until daylight (9th), when we bore
up and stood for the land. Having found Cape Santa Inez
and Cape Peñas correctly laid down on the chart we used,
I thought Cape St. Sebastian would not be far wrong, and
we had taken several observations during the early part of the
night to correct our reckoning. Standing towards the shore,
we quickly shoaled our water, and found a ground swell
increasing. Having made what I supposed to be Cape Sebastian,
and seeing from the mast-head a large opening to the
northward of it similar to that laid down in the chart,
with low distant land yet farther northward corresponding
to the shores of ‘ Bahia de Nombre de Jesus,’ I stood on
confidently, thinking how well the chart of this coast had
been laid down, and regardless of the soundings decreasing
as we went on. Seeing, however, from the mast-head, what
seemed to be a tide-ripple, two or three miles distant, I called
the boatswain, who had been much among the tide-races on
this coast, to ask his opinion of i t : but before he could get
up aloft to me, I saw that it was very low land, almost level
with the sea, and what I thought the ripple, was the surf on
the beach. Standing on a little farther we had but seven
fathoms water over a bottom of dark muddy sand, with bits of
black slate. At this time, the weather had cleared enough to
see the land fifteen or twenty miles on each side, but nothing
like an opening appearing, on the contrary, a plain extending
to the westward, as horizontal as the sea, I hauled to the wind
and stood alongshore to the S.E., to look for an inlet, fancying
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