ULLOA*S VOYAGE TO SOUTH AMERICA. 663 



Afuera de Juan Fernandes, we obferved the winds to fliift from fouth to fouth-weft. 

 Accordingly we altered our courfe, fleered eaft and eaft-fouth-eaft till the 31ft day, 

 when we found ourfelves in the latitude of 36° 23' and about fifteen or twenty leagues 

 north-weft of the bay of Conception. But the weather, which had been the fame alfo 

 the day preceding, was fo hazy, that we could not fee the other frigate. Sometimes 

 indeed we difcerned the colours, but without having any fight either of the hull or 

 maft*. This was however fufficient to afTure us that they were within half a cannon 

 (hot of each other. This, and our being fomething to leeward of the bay, obliged us 

 to ftand to fome diftance off to fea ; and thus we kept along the coaft without venturing 

 to approach it till the 5th, when at half an hour after nine in the morning, the weather 

 cleared up, and gave us light of Cape Carnero, bearing fouth-fouth-eaft ten or twelve 

 leagues : and the middle part of Santa Maria, north-eaft one quarter northerly. We 

 crouded all fail towards the latter, and at eleven the frigates lay-to. Cape Rumena 

 bearing fouth one quarter eafterly diftance four leagues, and Cape Lavapies eaft one 

 quarter north-eaft, diftance two leagues. The fouth point of the ifland of Santa Maria 

 bore north-eaft four leagues diftant, the north point of the fame ifland north-north-eaft 

 and a large rock without, north one quarter eafterly. Here we fent our long-boat with 

 orders to go betwixt the iflands and the continent, and take a fu-rvey of it, and then 

 join us in Conception bay. Accordingly the frigates got under fail at twelve at noon, 

 with a frefti gale at fouth-fouth-eaft and foon after came to an anchor in the faid bay. 



Don George Juan, from his reckoning, concluded that the ifland of Santa Maria, 

 which lies in 37° 3' fouth latitude, was 7° 10' eaft of the ifland De Afuera de Juan 

 Fernandes. Whereas I differed 0° 14' from him, making it only 6° 56'. 



To the north- weft of this ifland, at the diftance of a league and a half, is a lofty 

 fteep rock with feveral fmaller at its foot ; and one league and a half farther to fea- 

 ward, alfo on the north-weft fide pf the ifland, is a flioal, which, though we at this 

 time faw no breakers on it, we took care to keep at a proper diftance. And in my 

 fecond voyage, in the year 1 744, I had a clear view of it, for I not only faw the 

 breakers, it being then low-water and the fea running high, but alfo a reef of rocks 

 at the water's edge. The country pilots have affured me, that by fteering in the 

 middle between this fliallow and the rock, there is a very fafe channel, having in 

 moft parts fifty or fixty fathom water. 



In my fecond voyage above-mentioned, on board a French frigate called La Deliv- 

 rance, in the latitude of 36° 54' and 2° 24' weft of the ifland of Santa Maria, about 

 half an hour after making our obfervations, we unexpectedly found ourfelves in a 

 trad: of thick water of a yellowifli colour ; which, naturally occafioning a great fur- 

 prife, we ftarted from the table, being then at dinner, and haftened up to the quarter- 

 deck. It was now too late to put the fliip about; flie being in the very centre of it. 

 This flioal, as it appeared to us, ftretched near two leagues from north to fouth, and 

 was about fix or eight hundred toifes over from eaft to weft. The colour of the water 

 was of fo deep a yellow, that, after Providence had happily carried us through it, we 

 could eafily diftinguifli it at a confiderable diftance. I muft own, our confternation 

 was fuch, from our concluding we were on a flioal, as there was all the appearance 

 of it, that we had no thoughts of bringing the frigate-to, till we had got our founding 

 line in order. In fome parts the water was of a deeper yellow, as being more 



* This I fuppofe is a miftake, and ought to be read thus ; fometimes we faw the looming of the fails, 

 but could not perceive the hull. A. 



fliallow. 



