attended to, as it runs strongly betwixt thenJ.- The watef close
to them is very deep,.,aswe were carried by the tide nea r
enough to throw apy thing upon them. The bottoni is- Very
foul, so that if an anchor is 1# g©> ifis a chance: if it iseverrer
covered; and should the wind continue light,: th e tid eW flood
making, a vessel may anchor, at Sedge Island* if she can get as
far down, wherje; ten -fathoms Water will be found, with a sandy
bottom, within two or three miles _of th e shore. From Sedge
Island a N. by E. course will carry ;a;vesselfelear out to sea.
I t is proper to observe here, that if a vfes^bpiobliged to leave
the Needle Keys on her left hand, the nearer she keeps to them
the better ; to haul over on the larboard side! after she
I^past, as she will have the more room tcpweather a; led^e of
rocks lying; aicpn^derable, distance tout from Saunders Tomf* as
is shewn in Arrowsmitbs Chart. This passage.is much preferable
to running throughf-the Jasons.
Falkland’s Islands have been described by many wOyagers*
whose stay there gave thernrheteehlopportunity of observation.
I shall just ; observe that they l ie VOry convenient1 for being
touched a t on long voyages, when there happens such a necessity
for a supply »of, sea stock, as wejKsperiepcedf - :
The soil is light, producing a strong grass, known b-y; the
najne of fussack, which if set fire to, the turf will brim for 4
considerable time, and notwithstanding heavy rains is net to be
extinguished. I saw but little-, timber, and evert brush wood
did not appear to be plenty. Few birds are to be seen, buf
geese end penguins are in great numbers.
The penguin has been oftpa described, and must be known
to most of; my readers. I t js without wings of sufficient site. to
support its weight-in the air, but it runs pretty fast by the help
pf its sheet wing in an erect posture. The penguin forms bur*
rows in theca^thrwrh^ it tests, and marching in bodies in the
morning
mOtoihg tofted, tetiirtiS to them &t night to test. One of them
is generally found hear the retreat, seemingly’ placed there as a
centinel. 'If you approach near his post, he gives an alarm and
retreats, returning when-you are at a distance®
'We"found the |^ee§e excellent eating,'without the least taste
öf fish, as they Bv^hlte.%1'grass arid sea weed ; and accordingly
wè derived a Very seasonable assistance from them. They
are not'shyf 'uud will sufleryou to-come vO'rynear them before
they rerriove, and then not very fast. We brought some of
them with us alive to Ifie C a p # ' The gandèr is easily distinguished
from thë%öös#pthèTórmer hOirig- perfectly white, and
the latter prettily 'speckled with black. Wé' livèd chiefly on
them whilst we staid, making oar soup with th em; and we
killed^ some hundreds for our'sèa' stock; which had we riot done
Wc must haVe perished. Our fmethod of preserving them was
toTplifTherri down t i ë b a c h ,' wash them-well in saltwater1,
gJmfikleTÓck salt Over them, then expöstethem tó the air to dry,
and afterwards pack them up in barrels, with a proper quantity
Ofisaltto keep thOm for the voyage/
0% e fo rt‘I found growing plentifully here, probably introduced
by Tornier visitors to these islands. I t proved a very-useful vegetable
Tor fis/andOfe-used it 4eiy freely on board our vessel.
Its antiscorbutic virtues éde well known, as welbrirftsmsefulness
v hhlffulinary purposes. ,
We .found an AmOrican Ship lying here, called-the Washington
of Nantucket: her commander, Jedediah Fitz, was so
obliging as to assist ris with a small supply- of bread, which we
could^nof but cöiiSider as a particular kmdnóss'döne'tó us, as
being bound tó China, with a cargo of seal skins which he had
been successful in taking, he had a long voyage before him.
He informed me that the American sailorehad discovered potatoes
eaten ~raw to be. a v # y powerful antisèorbutic, and that
a a 2 ' t h e i r