a
230 FALKLAND ISLANDS.
even the trifling distinction of discovering the Falklands, when
it is evident that he could not have seen them ? *
On the 14th of August 1592, John Davis, who sailed with
Cavendish on his second voyage, but separated from him in May
1592, discovered the islands now called Falkland. In Mr. John
Jane’s relation of Davis’s voyage (Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 846),
there is the following simple, hut distinct account of this discovery
: “ Aug. 14, 1792. AVe were driven in among certain
isles, never before discovered by any known relation, lying
fifty leagues or better from the shore, east and northerly from
the Strait” (of Magalhaens).
At this time Davis was striving to enter the Strait of Magalhaens,
but had been long at sea, and driven far by tempests.
His bearing is correct, though the distance (by estimation
only) is too small.
In 1683-4, Dampier and Cowley saw three islands in lat. 51°
to 51° 20' S., which they (correctly) supposed to be those seen
and named by Sebald de AVeert. However, the editor of Cowley’s
narrative, one AViUiam Hack, published a different latitude
for the land they saw, and called it Pepys Island, in compliment
to the then Secretary of the Admiralty, intending that
it should be supposed a new discovery. The false latitude given
by Hack was 47° S. : in his drawing of the island he did not
omit the insertion of an Admiralty Bay and a Secretary Point.
Hawkins sailed along the northern shores of these islands in
1594, and he, ignorant of Davis’s discovery, named them Hawkins’s
Maiden Land. His account appearing first, and prominently,
before the public, procured for them the name by which
they were known until Strong, in 1690, sailed through and
anchored in the channel which he named Falkland Sound.
The AVelfare’s journal, written hy Strong, is in the British
Museum, together with Observations made during a South
Sea A'oyage, written by Richard Simson, who sailed in the
• Could the constructor of the chart, published at Rome in 1508, have
been misinformed, owing] to a mistake of 5 for 3 (50 for 30)? Such errors
occur frequently in modern compilations.
I
same ship; but a few sentences in each are so relevant to the
present subject, that I shall quote them verbatim:—“ 1690.
Monday 27th January. We saw the land ; when within three
or four leagues, we had thirty-six fathoms. It is a large land,
and lieth east and west nearest. There are several quays that lie
among the shore. We sent our boat to one, and she brought on
board abundance of penguins, and other fowls, and seals. We
steered along shore F. by N., and at eight at night we saw the
land run eastward as far as we could discern. Lat. 51° 3' S.
“ Tuesday 28th. This morning at four o’clock we saw a
rock that lieth from the main island four or five leagues. I t
maketh like a sail.* At six, we stood into a sound that lies
ahout twenty leagues from the westernmost land we had seen.
The sound lieth south and north nearest. There is twenty-
four fathoms depth at the entrance, which is four leagues
wide. We came to an anchor six or seven leagues within, in
fourteen fathoms water. Here are many good harbours. We
found fresh water in plenty, and killed abundance of geese and
ducks. As for wood, there is none.
“ On the Slst we weighed from this harbour, with the wind at
W.S.W. We sent our long-boat a-head of the ship, to sound
before us. At eight o’clock in the evening, we anchored in nine
fathoms. The next morning we weighed, and sent our boat
before us. At ten, we were clear out of the sound. At twelve,
we set the west cape bearing N.N.F., which we named Cape
Farewell. This sound, Falkland Sound as I named it, is about
seventeen leagues long ; the first entrance lies S. by F., and
afterwards S. by W.”
How it happened that the name Falkland, originally given
to the sound alone, obhterated Hawkins, and has never yielded
to Davis, is now a matter of very trifling importance.
I may be permitted to remark particularly, that Hawkins
and Strong not only saw both Fast and West Falkland, but
that in 1690 Strong anchored repeatedly between them, and
landed : and I do so, because stress has been laid upon the fact
• This rock was seen by Hawkins, and named by him ‘ White Conduit.’
Now it is caiied Eddystone.
7 ii
I '
ii '