282 A VOYAGE TO Book VÍII. 



C H A P. X. 



Voyage from Conception to the Jfiar.d cf Juan 

 Feknandesj and from thence to Valparaiso. 



•npHE fhips being come to an anchor in the port of 

 Talcaguino, we waited on Don Pedro de Mcn- 

 dinueta, at the city of Conception, who informed us 

 that the commodore Don Jofeph Pizairo, together 

 with the land and fea officers, were arrived at San- 

 tiago, and that h¿ intended to fet out for Valpaiaifo, in 

 order to hoift his flag on board the Efperanza, and 

 take upon him the comma,nd of that fquadron: on 

 receiving this intelligence, and having no orders to 

 continue at Conception, we put to fea on the fixth of 

 February, and fteering for the place of our deftination, 

 made, on the 20th, the ifland de Tierra de Juan Fer- 

 nandes, and at half an hour after ten, as we were 

 plying to windward along the coaft, and (landing to- 

 wards the ifiand which then bore two leagues weft 

 from us, we faw on the top or one of the mountaiiis 

 a bright light, which furpizcd us the moie, as on the 

 following day we faw no traces of any iLip's, being 

 in the port fince we left it. I had a clear view of it 

 from the inilant it began, and obfervcd that at firft it 

 Avas very fmali, and incrcaled, fo as to form a iiame 

 like that of a flambtau. The full vigour of its light 

 laftcd about three or four minutes, when it diminilhed 

 in the fame gradual manner it had increafed. It did 

 not appear ¿¡gain all the next night, nor had we during 

 the whole time we were at anchor in the port, any 

 viewofiuch a pliienomenon. We lent fome of our 

 people on fliore to examine all the mountains, and 

 other parts of the ifiand, and they fpent feveral nights 

 on that and the adjacent mountains, but could not dif- 

 cover the leaft vcilige of any fire. As I knew the 



ifland 



