440 



HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



19th of October, they hailed an English craft belonging to the 

 East India Company and bound from Bencoolen to Bengal. 

 The master sent them a sheep, a turtle, a dozen fowls, and two 

 gallons of arrack. With this assistance Byron easily reached 

 Java, where he took in stores of rice and arrack. Nothing of 

 moment occurred during the run home, except the incident of a 

 collision between the Dolphin and a whale, in which the latter 

 appeared to be the greatest sufferer, as the water was deeply 

 tinged with blood. Byron arrived at Deal on the 7th of May, 

 1766. Each ship had lost six men, including those that were 

 drowned. This number was so inconsiderable that it was deemed 

 probable that more of them would have died had they remained 

 on shore. Byron, having discharged all the duties devolving on 

 him during this voyage with prudence and energy, could not be 

 held responsible for the poverty of the scientific results obtained, 

 — a circumstance owing to the absence of scientific men, natu- 

 ralists, mathematicians, astronomers, &c. The Government re- 

 solved to make another effort, and to equip the expedition in a 

 style more adequate to its necessities. The Dolphin was im- 

 mediately refitted and furnished for a voyage to be made in the 

 same seas under Captain Samuel Wallis. The Swallow, a sloop 

 of fourteen guns, was appointed to be her consort, instead of the 

 lumbering Tamar, and Captain Carteret, who had accompanied 

 Byron, was ordered to command her. The Prince Frederick was 

 appointed to accompany them as store-ship. They left Plymouth 

 in company on the 22d of August, 1766. 



The run to Magellan's Strait offers no points of interest. They 

 entered into amicable relations with the Patagonians. These 

 people, who. from Magellan's and Byron's accounts, had obtained 

 the reputation of being giants of seven feet, were measured with 

 a rod by Wallis. The tallest were six feet six, while their 

 average height was from five feet ten to six feet. He invited 

 several of them on board, where, following the example of 

 Magellan, he showed one of them a looking-glass. "This, 



