APPENDIX. 



175 



blown over, much small fry of fish about the ship, whereof before we 

 saw none. The weather began to be warm, or rather hot ; and the 

 birds, as thrushes and blackbirds, to sing as sweetly as those in 

 England." 



On the 5th of November, they sailed out of the English Gulf, 

 taking with them their young Indian prisoner, to whom they gave 

 the name of Orson. As they departed, the natives on some of the 

 lands to the eastward made great fires. At six in the evening the 

 ship was without the mouth of the gulf : the wind blew fresh from 

 the N.W., and they stood out S.W. by W., to keep clear of breakers, 

 which lie four leagues without the entrance of the gulf to the S. and 

 S.S.E. Many reefs and rocks were seen hereabouts, on account of 

 which they kept close to the wind till they were a good distance clear 

 of the land. Their navigation from here to the Atlantic was, more 

 than could have been imagined, like the journey of travellers by night 

 in a strange country without a guide. The weather was stormy, and 

 they would not venture to steer in for the Strait of Magalhaens, 

 which they had purposed to do, for the benefit of the provision which 

 the shores of the strait afford, of fresh water, fish, vegetables, and 

 wood. They ran to the S. to go round to the Tierra del Fuego, hav- 

 ing the wind from the N.W., which was the most favourable for this 

 navigation ; but they frequently lay to, because the weather was thick. 



On the 12th, they had not passed the Tierra del Fuego. The lati- 

 tude, according to observation that day, was 55° 25', and the course 

 they steered was S.S.E. 



On the 14th, Ringrose says, " the latitude was observed 57° 50' S., 

 and on this day we could perceive land, from which at noon we were 

 due W." They steered S. by E., and expected that at daylight the 

 next morning they should be close in with the land ; but the weather 

 became cloudy, with much fall of snow, and nothing more of it was 

 seen. No longitude or meridian distance is noticed, and it must 

 remain doubtful whether what they took for land was floating ice ; 

 or their observation for the latitude erroneous, and that they saw the 

 Isles of Diego Ramirez ? 



Three days afterwards, in latitude 58° 30' S., they fell in with ice 

 islands, one of which they reckoned to be two leagues in circum- 

 ference. A strong current set here southward. They held on their 

 course eastward so far, that when at last they did sail northward, 

 they saw neither the Tierra del Fuego nor Staten Island. (End of 

 November 1681.) 



