204 



ARRIVAL AT VALPARAISO, 



which placed us in a very dangerous situation^ as 

 we were fast driving upon them^ but fortunately 

 about eight o'clock the wind came on again with a 

 thick fog^ which increased to a gale more violent 

 than ever^ so that we were compelled to stand 

 out once more^ and lay to with our head off shore. 

 This night proved worse than all ; and most mi- 

 serable and wet did we pass it. 



The whole of the next day (the bth,) till noon, 

 was a thick fog, so that we could not run ; after 

 that time, the sun cheered us with its presence, 

 and the fog clearing away, we found the land close 

 under our lee. We instantly made all sail, and 

 ran into the bay of Valparaiso, absolutely on our 

 beam ends, nmch to the astonishment of hundreds 

 of people, who were looking at us rounding the 

 point, which, after clearing, strange as it may 

 appear, when inside the bay, (owing to its being 

 so entirely sheltered by high mountains,) it was 

 a dead calm. 



About noon we anchored, making a long and 

 disagreeable passage of twenty-five days : the 



