38 A V O Y A G E T O T H E
1786. During the time our neceffary bufinefs was carried on, both onr
Janu.uy.^ c aptaHa^ were employed in furveying the port, and various parts of
the land. In one of thefe excurfions, they fell in with a birth for
the fhips, greatly preferable to that we lay in, on the Weft fide of
the bay , and as they propofed ftaying here a few days longer, it was
determined to take the veffels there : fo early in the morning of
the 16th we unmoored, and at eight o’clock made fail : at ten we
came to anchor in feven fathom water. We foon found that our
fituation was changed for the beft, being well flickered from the
wind, and no fwell to incommode us. ’Tis moft probable that
this was near the place where Captain Macbride lay in the year
1766, when he wintered here, as we found on the adjacent fhore
the ruins of feveral houfes, faid to be built by him, but deftroyed
fince by the Spaniards.
From the 16th to the 19th, the people of both fhips were alternately
on fhore, to recreate themfelves, land air (as I have-already
obferved) being very falutary, and wholefome for people in our
fituations : indeed this place affords little refrefhment of any other
kind, as I fhall take notice by and-bye.
Having learnt from Mr. Coffin, Mafter of the floop, that there
was a good paflage for us through the iflands, and he kindly
undertaking to lead the way as our pilot, our Captains determined
to get to fea the firft opportunity, as the feafon was already too fat-
advanced for us to expect a good paflage round Cape Horn. Accordingly
we weighed anchor, and made fail early in the morning
of the 19th of January. At eight o’clock, the flag-ftaff on Kep-
pel’s Ifland (the fame on which Mr.Macleod hoifted thefignal the
morning we made Port Egmont) bore Eaft by South ; Sandy Bay,
South-
South-Eaft by South, and the Weftermoft point of land, South-
Weft, at about four leagues diftance.
We came to anchor at half paft eight in the evening, without any
material occurrence, off the Eaft end of Carcafs Ifland, in twelve
fathom water.' In the morning of the 20th, we weighed and made
fail, and came to anchor at noon in Weft-Point Harbour, in eight
fathom water.
On the 21ft, in the morning, we again made fail. Mr. Coffin
cautioned us to be on our guard, in rounding Weft-Point, as the
wind would pour upon us from the high land like a torrent. The
morning was fine and clear, and the wind moderate ; yet luckily,
we did not defpife his precaution, but had all hands ready to clue
up the fails; and well it was that we had, for before we got
well round the Point, the wind poured down upon us like a
hurricane, and continued to blow with amazing impetuofity for
near an hour, during which time we durft not fhew a Angle yard
of canvas; but as we got clear of the high land, the wind grew
moderate. At one o’clock we faw the two fhips before-mentioned,
riding at anchor in Huffey Harbour ; and at three o’clock
■ we came to anchor in States Bay, Swan Ifland, off Elephant Point,
in feventeen fathom water, and about a mile from the American
veffels.
Before I conclude, let me give thee as good an account of thefe
Iflands as I am able, from what obfervations I have made during
our ftay here.
Thefe Iflands were firft difcovered by Sir Richard Hawkins, in
1594, but Captain Strong probably called them Falklafid’s Ifland, or
more