Jan.] 



ISLAND OF MASAFUERO. 1 



131 



The climate here is mild, the air salubrious, the weather generally 

 pleasant, and the place every way calculated to promote health. For 

 nine months of the year, the wind uniformly blows from west-south- 

 west to south-east; but in June, July, and August, it blows fresh from 

 all points of the compass, attended with much rain and thick weather ; 

 particularly when it blows from a northern quarter. 



There are a great many goats on this island, the flesh of which is 

 very tender and palatable food ; this is doubtless owing to the rich- 

 ness and sweetness of the grass and other vegetables on which they 

 feed, they being of the finest flavour and highly nutritive. The forests 

 abound with land-birds of beautiful plumage, and sea-birds visit the 

 shores in great numbers. But Ireland itself is not more exempt 

 from serpents and reptiles of every description than is the island of Masa- 

 fuero. 



Wood and water can be obtained here from the east side of the 

 island, with very little trouble, and a place called the landing is the 

 most convenient for taking off* the water. This may be easily recog- 

 nised by a single rock, on the southern part of the island, appearing 

 at a distance like a sail. A little to the north of this rock, by follow- 

 ing the shore, a small gravelly cove will be found, with some small 

 sand-beaches. At this place is the best water to be found, and the 

 most easy to procure ; although it cannot be seen from the ships, as it 

 flows in a gully of some depth. The cove is small, and may be 

 known by a ridge of stones piled upon the shore. In the winter season, 

 good water is found in all the gullies on the north and east sides of the 

 island. Fish of a good quality abound in the water near the shore, and 

 may be easily caught with a hook and line. 



In approaching this island, there are no dangers which extend over 

 half a mile from the shore. On the west side there is a rock, one 

 mile from the shore, about the size of a ship's deck, with twenty-two 

 feet of water over it at low tide. This rock is not indicated by any 

 symptom on the surface, except in very bad weather. From the 

 north-west point a reef extends out about half a mile. Bring the 

 north-west point to bear west, and you may anchor in twenty fathoms 

 of water, sandy bottom, about one mile off-shore. 



The first ship that ever took a cargo of fur-seal skins from this 

 island for the Canton market, was the Eliza, Captain Stewart. From 

 that time to the year 1 807, there were constantly more or less ships' 

 crews stationed here, for the purpose of taking fur-seal skins ; a part 

 of which time there were from twelve to fifteen crews on shore at 

 the same time, American and English. 



January \6th. — The boats which I had sent in search of seal when 

 1 first arrived at this island, returned on the evening of Sunday, the 

 16th, at eight, P. M. During their absence, they had pulled all around 

 the island, but only succeeded in'taking thirteen fur-seal skins. They 

 had, indeed, seen about fifty seals on the rocks, which they could not 

 get at. At nine, P. M., we got under way, and steered for the river 

 Maule, on the coast of Chili, about half-way between Valparaiso and 

 Conception ; having a fine breeze from south-south-west, and fair 

 weather. 



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