%3& cook's second voyage dec. 



ing which time we saw none of the inhabitants. What 

 is very remarkable, I had been several times up in 

 the same cove with Captain Cook, and never saw the 

 least sign of an inhabitant, except some deserted 

 towns, which appeared as if they had not been occu- 

 pied for several years ; and yet, when Mr. Burney 

 entered the cove, he was of opinion there could not 

 be less than fifteen hundred or two thousand people. 

 I doubt not, had they been apprized of his coming, 

 they would have attacked him. From these consid- 

 erations I thought it imprudent to send a boat up 

 again ; as we were convinced there was not the least 

 probability of any of our people being alive. 



On the 23d, we weighed and made sail out of the 

 Sound, and stood to the eastward to get clear of the 

 Straits; which we accomplished the same evening, 

 but were baffled for two or three days with light winds 

 before we could clear the coast. We then stood to the 

 S.S.E., till we got into the latitude of 56° S., without 

 any thing remarkable happening, having a great swell 

 from the southward. At. this time the winds began to 

 blow strong from the S. W., and the weather to be very 

 cold ; and as the ship was low and deep laden^he 

 sea made a continual breach over her, which kept s 

 always w r et; and by her straining, very few of the 

 people were dry in bed or on deck, having no shelter 

 to keep the sea from them. 



The birds were the only companions we had in this 

 vast ocean ; except now and then, we saw a whale or 

 porpoise, and sometimes a seal or two, and a few 

 penguins. In the latitude of oS° S., longitude 213°* 

 E., we fell in with some ice, and every day saw more 

 or less, we then standing to the E. We found a very 

 strong current setting to the eastward ; for by the 

 time we were abreast of Cape Horn, being in the 

 latitude of bl° S., the ship was a-head of our account 

 eight degrees. We were very little more than a 



* About H7 west longitude, as I reckon. 



