41 



and who, having been each time taken at the 

 entrance of the port, were obliged to return to 

 Spain through Portugal. 



The Pizarro set sail at two in the afternoon. 

 As the long and narrow passage by which a ship 

 sails from the port of Corunna opens towards the 

 north, and the wind was contrary, we made 

 eight short tacks, three of which were useless. A 

 fresh tack was made, but very slowly, and we 

 were for some moments in danger at the foot of 

 the fort St. Amarro ; the current having driven 

 us very near the rock, on which the sea breaks 

 with considerable violence. We remained with 

 our eyes fixed on the castle of St. Antony, where 

 the unfortunate Malaspina # was then a captive 

 in a state prison . On the point of leaving Eu- 

 rope to visit the countries which this illustrious 

 traveller had visited with so much advantage, I 

 could have wished to have fixed my thoughts 

 on some object less affecting. 



At half past six we passed the Tower of Her- 

 cules, which is the lighthouse of Corunna, as we 

 have already mentioned, and where, from the re- 

 motest times, a coal fire is kept up for the direc- 

 tion of vessels. The light of this fire is no way 

 proportionate to the beautiful construction of so 

 vast an edifice ; being so weak, that the ships can- 

 not perceive it till they are in danger of striking 



* Essai Politique sur le Mexique, t. i, p. 338. Observ. 

 Astron. t. i, p. 34. 



