1.78.6
January.
l e t t e r x i r .
EA R L Y in the morning of the 23d January we weighed
anchor and made fail. At nine o’clock the North-Weft
end of New Ifland bore South-Welt by South, diflance five miles.
Our latitude at noon was 51 deg. 35 min. South, and longitude 60
deg. 54 min. Weft. During the afternoon and evening, the weather
was thick and hazy, with fmall drizzling rain.
At eight o’clock in the morning of the 24th, the Weft end of
Falkland s Iflands bore North-Eaft, at ten leagues diftance : our
latitude at noon 52 deg. 3 min. South. We kept Handing to the
Southward, it being our intention to get well clear of Cape Horn,
that in cafe of contrary winds, we might double it with fafety.
From the 24th to the 26th, we. had moderate hazy weather, with
North-wefterly winds : latitude on the 26th, 53 deg. 39 min;
South. We here found the variation of the compafs to be 25 deg;
to the Eaftward. At ten o’clock in the evening of the 26th, we
faw.Staten’s Land, bearing South-Eaft. During the night we had
frequent fqualls, attended with lightning,
At eight in the morning of the 27th, the extremes of Staten’s
Land bore from South a quarter Weft, to Weft half South,
diftance from the Ihore about five miles. Towards nine o’clock
we faw a ripling a-head, which occafioned us to fhorten fail, and
bear up ; but foon afterwards we found it was occafioned by the
current, on which we again hauled to the Southward and made fail.
The
The North-Weftfide of Staten’s Land is very mountainous* and 1786.
appears extremely barren; but I am informed the Eaft fide is j anuary',
woody, and tolerably level. In the evening, the extremes o f the
land: bore from Weft-North-Weft to North by Weft, at nine
leagues diftance. From the 28th to the 30th, we had heavy gales
of windi and frequent fqualls; the wind veering from South by
Eaft.’to.Weft..
The 3 iff, and to the 4th of February, was more moderate. We;
now had made a good offing from Cape Horn, our latitude at noon:
on the 4th being 60. deg. 14 min. South, and our longitude 67
deg. 3.0:min. Weft.. Our courfe now changed to North-Weft, our
Captain's wifhing to get ftill further to the Weftward, that if we
fhould have Wefterly winds, we might keep well clear of the Continent,.'.
Since our leaving Falkland’s Iflands, the weather has
been, very cold andfevere, with frequent’ ftorms o f rain and fleet 5
the thermometer generally at 44 deg. Indeed we are later in the •
feafon than could have been wifhed, yet this is the Summer feafon
in this part of the world. During the greateft part of February,.
we had conftant and fevere gales of wind from the North.and
North-Weft, with very heavy crofs feas, which retarded our pro- -
grefs exceedingly, our latitude on the 28th being 52 deg. 14 min. -
South, and our longitude ,84, deg. 34min. Weft.
I have.oftem admired that emphatic'defcription of perfons in a.:
ftorm, recorded in the: 107th Pfalm ; but its beauty now ftrikes ;•
me fo forcibly, in confequence of our late fituation, that I cannot.’
forbear tranfcribing it. „
“ They that go down to the fea in fhips, and occupy their
“ buftnefs in great waters. Thefe men fee the works of the Lord,'
“ and his wonders, in the deep. For at his word, the ftormy
“ wind!