206 CHILL 



to refer to his praiseworthy conduct in being instrumental in saving the 

 crew of the Chilian vessel of war, the Monteguedo, that came near 

 being lost. By his exertions, seconded as they were by the officers of 

 H. B. M. ship Fly, they were rescued from a watery grave. It gave 

 me great pleasure some time afterwards to receive the highly compli- 

 mentary notice of it by the Hon. J. K. Paulding, then Secretary of the 

 Navy, which will be found included in Appendix XXXIV. 



On the 17th of May, the United States' ship Falmouth, Captain 

 M'Keever, arrived from Callao ; and it is with much satisfaction and 

 pleasure I refer to my meeting and acquaintance with this officer, 

 whose liberal views, and the aid rendered the Expedition, were of 

 essential service in forwarding our duties. The manner in which the 

 aid was given, rendered it doubly welcome. 



As before mentioned, the Flying-Fish arrived on the J 9th, having 

 left Orange Harbour on the 28th of April, in company with the Sea- 

 Gull. At midnight, the Sea-Gull was last seen. Shortly afterwards, 

 it began to blow in strong squalls, and rapidly increased to a gale ; by 

 half-past eight of the 29th, it was " blowing furiously." At one 

 o'clock, False Cape Horn was made under the lee, when Passed 

 Midshipman Knox determined to run for a harbour. At 4 p. m. they 

 anchored under the south point of Scapenham Bay, where they dragged 

 their anchors, and were obliged to remove to Orange Bay. There 

 they anchored, and rode out the remainder of the gale, which lasted 

 with violence until the morning of the 1st of May, on which day they 

 again took their departure, and shortly afterwards fell in with a 

 whaler, who seemed not a little surprised to find a New York pilot-boat 

 off the Cape, and to have an interrogatory put to him, to know if he 

 wanted a Cape pilot. 



Although I felt some uneasiness about the Sea-Gull, I did not appre- 

 hend that she had met with accident. The time that has since elapsed, 

 and the careful search that was made, leaves no doubt of her loss, and 

 a strong belief that all on board perished in that gale. Nothing since 

 that time has been heard of her. How, or in what way, disaster 

 happened to her, it is impossible to conjecture. I had the greatest con- 

 fidence in the officers who had charge of her ; they were both well 

 acquainted with the management of the vessel. Their loss and that 

 of the vessel, were a great disadvantage to the Expedition, which was 

 felt by me during the remainder of the cruise, these vessels being well 

 calculated for the southern seas, particularly in the low latitudes, though 

 much exposed in boisterous weather. 



They were principally intended to be engaged with the boats in 

 surveying operations, and were well adapted to that service. 



