654^ ulloa's voyage to south America. 



During our paffage from Callao to the tropic, we had light winds, often interrupted 

 with fhort calms ; but after we had crolfed the tropic, they were more fettled, ftronger, 

 and fqually, but not dangerous, being of fhort continuance. But, as I have already 

 noticed in another part, they always blow from the fouth-eafl and never from the fouth- 

 weft, till you are fifteen or twenty degrees weft of the meridian of Callao. When we 

 concluded ourfelves in the proper latitude for ftanding towards the iflands, and found 

 the wind at north- weft, we fteered eaft, in order to reach the meridian of Juan Fer- 

 nandes. The wind then fhifted round from weft-north-weft to weft-fouth-weft and 

 fouth, and afterwards returned to its ufual rhumbs of fouth-eaft, fouth-fouth-eaft, and 

 fouth-eaft, one quarter eafterly. On the 27th of December, the wind again veered to 

 the north-weft, and continued fo the whole day ; the two fucceeding days at north- 

 north-weft and north- weft, but on the 30th veered to the weft-north- weft. On the 

 31ft it fhifted to the fouth-fouth-weft, and on the ift of January veered round to the 

 fouth, fouth-fouth-eaft, and fouth-eaft. Thole, therefore, who endeavour to gain fuch 

 winds, ftand off from the coaft till they fall in with them ; and this fometimes happens 

 at a greater diftance than at others ; I mean during the fummer j for in winter a differ- 

 ent courfe is necelTary, as we fhall explain in the fequel. 



The atmofphere of thefe feas is generally filled with thick vapours to a confiderable 

 height : fo that often for four or five days fucceffively, there is no pofTibility of obferv- 

 ing the latitude. Thefe fogs the failors call Sures Pardos, and are fond of them, as 

 they are a fure fign that the wind will be frefh and conftant, and that they fhall not be 

 troubled with calms. At this time it is very common to fee the horizon filled with a 

 dark cloud, but of no dangerous confequence, except frefhening the wind a little more 

 than ufual, and a fhort fhower of rain ; the weather, in four or five minutes, becoming 

 as fair as before. The fame thing prefages the turbonada, or fhort hurricane ; for the 

 cloud is no fooner formed on the horizon, than it begins, according to the failor's 

 phrafe, " to open its eye,** i. e. the cloud breaks, and the part of the horizon where it 

 was formed becomes clear. Thefe turbonadas are moft common after you are paffed 

 the 17th or 1 8th of latitude. 



Near the tropic, that is, between the parallels of fourteen or fixteen and twenty-eight de- 

 grees, calms greatly prevail during the months of January, February, and even March ; and 

 in fome years more than others; but near the coaft they are not fo common, on account of 

 the land breezes, which are always between the fouth-eaft and eaft-fouth-eaft.. Formerly, 

 and even till within thefe few years, the voyage to and from Callao to Chili, was rarely per- 

 formed in lefs than a twelvemonth ; owing to a fear of ftanding off" to a great diftance from 

 the coaft ; for by tacking along the fhore they made but little way, and, confequently, 

 laid the fhips under a necefTity of putting into the intermediate harbours for water and 

 provifions ; but an European pilot making his firft voyage in the ufual manner, obferved 

 that the courfe of the currents was from the weft and fouth-weft, whence he concluded 

 that winds from thofe quarters might be found farther off at fea. Accordingly, in his 

 voyage, he ftood off to a great diftance, in order to fall in with thofe winds, and had 

 the fatisfadion to find that he was not miftaken ; fo that he reached Chili in little more 

 than thirty days. This being fo far fhort of the ufual term, he was fufpeded of forcery, 

 and ever after called Brujo, a forcerer. From this report, and the evidence of the 

 dates of his papers, perfons of all ranks were perfuaded that he failed by magic, and the 

 Inquifition caufed him to be apprehended ; but, on examining his journals, they ap- 

 plauded his fagacity, and were convinced, that if others did not perform the fame voy- 

 age with equal difpatch, it was owing to their timidity in not ftretching off to a proper 



2 diftance 



