Port Famine to Falkland's Islands
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would have had the boat out to have gone into the harbour, but the wind blew fresh and they would not agree to go with it. Sailing a litle further, keeping the lead, and having six and twenty, and seaven and twenty fathoms water, untill wee came to a place where wee saw the weeds ride, having the lead againe, found but seaven fathoms water. Fearing danger went about the shipp there, were then fearefull to stay by the land any longer, it being all rocky ground, but the harbour seemed to be a good place for shipps to ride there; in the island seeming likewise to have water enough, there seemed to me to be harbour for five hundred saile of shipps. The going in but narrow, and the north side of the entrance shallow water that I could see, but I verily believe that there is water enough for any shipp to goe in on the south side, for there cannot be so great a lack of water, but must needs scowre a channell away at the ebbe deepe enough for shipping to goe in. I would have had them stood upon a wind all night, but they told me they were not come out to goe upon discovery. Wee saw likewise another island by this that night, which made me thinke them to be the Sibble D’wards."
"The same night wee steered our course againe west south west, which was but our south west, the compasse having two and twenty degrees variation eastwardly, keeping that course till wee came in the latitude of three and fifty degrees."
In both the printed and manuscript account, this land is said to lie in latitude forty-seven, to be situated to the westward of the ship when first discovered, to appear woody, to have an harbour where a great number of ships might ride in safety, and to be frequented by innumerable birds. It
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Voyaging Accounts |  |
© Derived from Volume I of the London 1773 Edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 53, 2004
Published by kind permission of the Library
To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv01/089.html