1774' ROUND THE WORLD. 1J5 



like sugar loaves. They lie N. W. by N. and S. E. 

 by S., by compass, of each other. Some other strag- 

 gling low rocks lie west of the cape, and one south 

 of it ; but they are all near the shore. From Christ- 

 mas Sound to Cape Horn, the course is E.S.E. J E. 

 distant thirty -one leagues. In the direction of E.N. E., 

 three leagues from Cape Horn, is a rocky point, which 

 I called Mistaken Cape, and is the southern point of 

 the easternmost of Hermite Isles. Between these 

 two capes there seemed to be a passage directly into 

 Nassau Bay ; some small isles were seen in the pas- 

 sage ; and the coast, on the west side, had the ap- 

 pearance of forming good bays or harbours. In 

 some charts, Cape Horn is laid down as belonging to 

 a small island. This was neither confirmed, nor can 

 it be contradicted by us ; for several breakers ap- 

 peared in the coast, both to the east and west of it ; 

 and the hazy weather rendered every object indis- 

 tinct. The summits of some of the hills were rocky, 

 but the sides and valleys seemed covered with a green 

 turfi and wooded in tufts. 



From Cape Horn we steered E. by N. J N. which 

 direction carried us without the rocks that lie off 

 Mistaken Cape. These rocks are white with the 

 dung of fowls ; and vast numbers were seen about 

 them. After passing them, we steered N.E. \ E. 

 and N.E. for Strait Le Maire, with a view of 

 looking into Success Bay, to see if there were any 

 traces of the Adventure having been there. At 

 eight o'clock in the evening, drawing near the strait, 

 we shortened sail, and hauled the wind. At this 

 time the Sugar-loaf on Terra del Fuego bore N. 33° 

 W. ; the point of Success Bay, just open of the cape 

 of the same name, bearing N. c 20° E. ; and Staten 

 Land, extending from N. 53° E. to 67° E. Soon 

 after, the wind died away, and we had light airs and 

 calms by turns till near noon the next day ; during 

 which time we were driven by the current over to 

 Staten Land. 



