to the Sti^ait of Magellan, 



53 



On the 23d, after some hours of calm weather, a NE. wind 

 set in ; and then veering round by the E. it settled from SE. to 

 SSE., and blew very hard for three daj^s together. The hea- 

 vens were so overcast, that we could make no sort of astro- 

 nomical observations ; so that, if we had not considered the 

 vessel to be 80 or 90 leagues from land, we would have been 

 very uneasy. But, as we then were, such winds were of great 

 service to us, and greatly forwarded our voyage. 



We now altered our course a little to NE. by E. in order to 

 pass about 100 leagues to the E. of the mouth of the River de 

 la Plata, and in this direction ran through the parallels of lati- 

 tude from 45° to 41^ ; in crossing which, on our passage to the 

 strait, there had been so great an error in our reckoning, which 

 we accounted for by the setting of the water towards the NE. 

 quarter. At present, however, we had no proper opportunity 

 of examining whether the same circumstances took place ; for 

 the wind was very inconstatit, and the only altitudes we could 

 observe by the time-pieces were in S. latitude 47f° and 42°, in 

 which interval of three days the wind continued from the SE. 

 The results of these observations, and of the altitudes at noon, 

 produced a difference of twenty-five miles to the NW. by N. 

 with the reckoning. But this difference, which is very small 

 when compared with that discovered in our outward voyage, 

 between the parallels of 45° and 41°, cannot be depended on, 

 as the reckoning was very uncertain ; and because the error be- 

 tween latitude 45° and 4'i° was in some measure compensated 

 to the westward by the error observed between 47|° and 45°. 

 From observations made from latitude 42° to 41^ on the 25th 

 and 26th of March, we discovered a difference of thirly-six 

 miles in the direction north-easterly, as in our former passage 

 through these parallels. 



The wind died away entirely on the 26th, so that the swell 

 which remained became extremely troublesome; for, had any 

 accidents happened to our masts, we must have run for Rio de 

 la Plata, havmg no means of repairing the damage on-board. 



On the 27th, in the morning, we had the wind fresh from 

 NW. and, on the two following days, we crossed the mouth of 

 that river, at the distance of about 100 leagues from the land, 

 steering NE. We perceived currents setting-in towards the 

 river, as we had before observed in passing from N. to S. 



As we have not here set down the mean direction of the winds 

 and of our courses, which were all inserted in their proper Tables, 

 we wall just notice, that the winds from the eastward obliged us 

 to keep close to them, standing to the northward for three or 

 four days; and, when they came from the NW. we stood 

 towards the NE. without being able to keep the direct course 



