226 



SOUNDING CURRENT. 



Feb. 



the Falkland Islands. Towards evening we rounded to for 

 soundings, but the sea was so high and short, that a man* at 

 the jib-boom-end was pitched more than a fathom under water. 

 He held on manfully, both to the boom and the lead-line, and 

 as he rose above the wave, blowing and dripping, hove the lead 

 forward as steadily as ever,-|- My own feelings at seeing him 

 disappear may be imagined : — it was some time before we 

 sounded again. This heavy though short sea seemed to be 

 caused by the flood tide, coming from the southward, and 

 meeting waves raised by strong north-west winds. The stream 

 of tide set us a mile each hour north-eastward. 



At eight the wind and sea were too much for us to run with ; 

 therefore, watching an opportunity, we rounded to J under 

 close-reefed main-topsail, trysails, and fore-staysail. Next 

 morning (27th) we bore up, though the sea was still heavy, and 

 steered to pass south of the Falklands. Our observations at 

 noon showed that since leaving Good Success Bay we had been 

 set more than thirty miles to the north-east. This effect, whe- 

 ther caused by the flood tide-stream, or by a current indepen- 

 dent of the tide, would be dangerous to ships endeavouring to 

 pass westward of the Falklands during bad weather, and in all 

 probability caused the embayment of H.M.S. Eden, Captain 

 W. F. W. Owen, when she was saved by his skill : also of a 

 French storeship, the Durance ; and of several other vessels. At 

 noon, on the 28th, we found that the current or stream of tide 

 had set us more towards the east than to the northward, during 

 the preceding twenty-four hours, while we were at the south 

 side of the islands. 



At daylight on the 1st of March (having passed the pre- 

 ceding night standing off" and on under easy sail), we made 

 Cape Pembroke, at the eastern extremity of the Falklands. 

 The weather was very cold and raw, with frequent hail-squalls, 



• Nicholas White. 



t Two men in the staysail netting were also dipped under water, at a 

 second plunge, from which White escaped. 



X The barometer was below 29 inches. See Meteorological Journal in 

 Appendix. 



