touch at Falkland’s Islands,: we camo -safe^to an anchor in
Hope Bay, or Little West*Point Harbour.
I must observe here, that we'found Arro wsmith’s Chart v®ays
correct with respect to Cape Horn and. Falkland's Island's; the
harbour I have -just.mentioned is named on it Hope Bay; but,
the-people who frequent these islands generally calied. it West
Point.
Our intention had been first to touch a t a cluster of islands to
the eastward, called New Islands by the Americans, iwho .ai e
the most constant visitors of Falkland’s Islands.'1,- DnpNeW »
Islands are .found-.plenty of goats and hags-.iv,lTfreyAie abqut
thirty miles S. S.W. by compass, of Hope Bay, as a N .® E.
course carried us from them - clear to the ".entrances o f West
Point. They are distinguished by a particular, saddle. i§lapd;
and a bluff standing' separate from each other. They^arè, .ailit-
tie tb 'thé northward:of Beaver Island, and will be, easily, found
by these two remarkable islands just mentioned.
As it is of the greatest, consequence to Mariners, when in
want of water or refreshments, to obtain every, possible information
in order to secure a port amongst this foul-weather,
groupe of islands, which g purpose may be defeated .by, the
smallest oversight I think it may not be unacceptable .t9 ^ t
down hem a few1 Remarks made in this run,
Having made New Islands, the westerly wind,:which generally
prevails, blowing very strong and in squalls, would , not
permit us to anchdr; we were therefore under the necessity,
either of making the harbour of West Point, or -running in the
night through a passage among the Jasons, well known to, he
full of rocks and shoals, many of them not laid down in any
Chart. I have before observed, that thirty miles N. N. E. by
compass, brought us to the entrance of West Point harbour.
In this run there are, on the right hand, a ,few small flat islands
called
called Pass;’Islands jtthjpsb'ought to she kept on board near
enougltMbr^Mtl$£|Sfurf'breaking on them?; and soon after a remarkable^
island, with ‘h/'.steep side, will present itself, having
thuvapp^araheerof - a spldt in the-middle, which has given it the
name’of? Split Island-, i Here^welobserved the latitude at noon
tp be ^henA^tipm ®. N. E .‘ by compass,* distance
thsefe' miles. The-Split must-be brought to' beaf'S: by W. running
in, and N-.-by E. coming out, observing thi‘s,? a^'^el'selwi]l
find itself imthmfair way j ^and right a-heaki coming-in,'or right
a-s£&ff|.gOing * out,? a sight will' be had of West Port entrance;
making, a|vfi#t lik'ethree hummocks, to the1 right bfiwnfiefius. the
mouth of the harbour. The Small harbour on the left is preferable'to
the latgermn the right, though anehorage will be found
an both,’;fouffffresh water? may more readily-be had in The little
harbo.ur. ' Both .th^^fiam Aftgethcr nearly-an oval, divided by
©0passage which runs directly through whemthe'tides of flood
and* ebb alternate!^center. A vessel must therefore haul ©lose
roundrihe rooks« on the south side to get into the little harbour
for the ebb-tide,'-with which she mush go in, unless it blows very
strong so. as to: enable her tb stem the floods both tides here
running with great:rapidity, and when it blows hard raising a
cdfefudp.d« sda. Thd^^isfra’tsa&dy beach at the-top ofrthe har-
feour, .off which- a vds^ef may ch h ^ h e r depth of water to anchor
in-.' - In going out,of the harbour the Northern Passage is most
eligible ; apd? a westerly wind with a course N. by E. by compass
will carry a vessel out, provided she get under weigh a t the
first-of the ebb. Five small perpendicular rocks*: called the
Needle' Keys, appear when out, standing together, bearing
N .E . by-E. or thereabouts, from the harbouris mouth. I t is
best to. leave them on the right; but should there be little wind,
and the tide strong, as was the case when we passed them, a
vessel may go close to the right of them. The tide must be
a a attended