Ch. IV. SOUTH AMERICA. 219 



CHAP. IV. 



Account of the Islands of Juan Femandes : Voyage, 

 from those. Islands to Santa Maria , and from 

 thence io the Bay of Conception. 



THE islands of Juan Fernandes, which, on ac- 

 count of their situation, belong to the kingdom 

 of Chih, are two in number. One, as lying farther 

 to the W. is distinguished by the epithet De Afuera; 

 and the other, as nearer the land, or to the eastward, 

 is called La de Tierra. The former, which is some- 

 thing above a league in length, is nearly of an oval 

 figure, and the land very high, so that it has the ap- 

 pearance of a round mountain ; and its steepness on. 

 all sides renders it evevy where almost inaccessible. 

 Several large cascades tumble from its summit, and 

 the water of one of them, after a succession of long 

 falls among the rock on the S. W. side of the island, 

 precipitates itself into the sea with such amazing im- 

 petuosity, that its froth may be seen at three leagues 

 distance. The longitude of this island, according to 

 the reckoning of Don George Juan, admitting the 

 currents to set towards the S. VV., is 3^ áO' W. from 

 the meridian of Callao; but according to my compu- 

 tation 3^ 27'. By the coast we steered from the meri- 

 dian de Afuera till we reached la de Tierra, Ave con , 

 eluded the distance between those islands to be thirty» 

 four leagues. 



The island de Tierra, which is about four hundred 

 and forty leagues to the N. of Cape Horn, is between 

 three or four leagues from E. to W. which is its 

 greatest length. It is for the most part h.igh land, 

 but not destitute of some plains, though these are 

 part of the mountains themselves. Its valleys are 

 full of trees, and some ofthem an excellent timber, 

 ilcre is likewise the piemcnto tree, resembling the 



Chiapa 



