Page 557

Voyages in the Southern Hemisphere, Vol. I

Table of Contents Masasuero to Queen Charlotte's Island Index Search Contact us

CHAP. III. The Passage from Masasuero to Queen Charlotte's Islands; several Mistakes corrected concerning Davis's Land, and an Account of some small Islands, supposed to be the same that were seen by Quiros. WHEN we took our departure from Masafuero, we had a great sea from the N.W. with a swell of long billows from the southward, and the wind, which was from the S.W. to the W.N.W. obliged me to stand to the northward, in hope of getting the south east trade-wind, for the ship was so dull a sailer, that there was no making her go without a strong wind in her favour. Having thus run farther to the northward than at first I intended, and finding myself not far from the parallel of latitude which has been assigned to two islands called Saint Ambrose, and Saint Felix or Saint Paul, I thought I should perform an acceptable service by examining if they were fit for shipping to refresh at, especially as the Spaniards having fortified Juan Fernandes, they might be found convenient for Great Britain, if she should hereafter be engaged in a Spanish war. These islands are laid down in Green' S charts, which were published in the year 1753, from latitude 26° 20', to 27° S. and from I° ¼#188; to 2° ½ W. of Masafuero; I therefore hauled up with a design to keep in that latitude, but soon afterwards consulting Robertson' S Elements of Navigation, I found the island of Saint Ambrose there laid down in latitude 25° 3° S., and 82° 20' longitude west of London, and supposing that islands of so small an extent, might be laid down with more exactness in this work than in the chart, I bore away more northward for that latitude; the event, however, proved that I should not have trusted him so far: I missed the islands, and as I saw great numbers of birds and fish, which are certain indications of land not far off, there is the greatest reason to conclude that I went to the northward of them. I am sorry to say that upon a farther examination of Robertson' S tables of latitudes and longitudes, I found them erroneous in many particulars: this censure, however, if I had not thought it necessary to prevent future mischief, should have been suppressed. Voyaging Accounts © Derived from Volume I of the London 1773 Edition: National Library of Australia call no. FERG 7243, page 557, 2004 Published by kind permission of the Library To cite this page use: https://paulturnbull.org/project/southseas/journals/hv01/557.html