Port Desire to Patagonia
Index
Search
Contact us
the wind blew so hard he could not get into it, and that he therefore stood away to the southward. At this time I also was steering southward; for the weather being extremely fine, I could see very far to the northward of the situation in which it is laid down. As I supposed it must lie to the eastward of us, if indeed it had any existence, I made the Tamar’s signal to spread early in the afternoon; and as the weather continued to be very clear, we could see, between us, at least twenty leagues. We steered S.E. by the compass, and at night brought to, being by my account in latitude 47° 18’S. The next morning it blew very hard at N.W. by N. and I still thought the island might lie to the eastward; I therefore intended to stand about thirty leagues that way, and if I found no island, to return into the latitude of 47 again. But a hard gale coming on, with a great sea, I brought to about six o’clock in the evening under the main sail; and at six o’clock the next morning, the wind being at W.S.W. we made sail again under our courses to the northward. I now judged myself to be about out sixteen leagues to the eastward of the track I had run before: Port Desire bore S. 80° 53’W. distant ninety-four leagues; and in this situation I saw a great quantity of rock-weed, and many birds. We continued to stand to the northward the next day under our courses, with a hard gale from S.W. to N.W. and a great sea. At night, being in latitude 46° 50’S., I wore ship, and stood in to the westward again, our ships having spread every day as far as they could be seen by each other: and on the IIth at noon, being now certain that there could be no such island as is mentioned by Cowley, and laid down by Halley under the name of Pepys’ Island, I resolved to stand in for the main, and take in wood and water, of which both ships were in great want, at the first convenient place I could
 |
Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Derived from Volume I of the London 1773 Edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 24, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv01/060.html