f 



extreme caution with which 1 was compelled to navigate. 

 I however hoped to remove this difficulty the first prize I 

 should be so fortunate as to make, and felt more desire to 

 ^et possession of the charts than can well be conceived ; 

 ior. at this time, good charts of the coast would be the great- 

 est treasure we could meet with. 



• Finding that I could not nm in for ,the anchorage, or 

 ^end in a boat, on account of the violence of the wind, 

 which had now increased to a gale, I hauled off under three 

 double-reefed topsails. But we were soon compelled to 

 bring to under close-reefed fore and main topsails, and 

 send down our top-gallant-jards. Notwithstanding the 

 ship pitching very deep, and straining considerably, I de- 

 termined to run to the northward as far as Conception, and 

 directed the helm to be put a- weather ; but the gale in- 

 creasing through the night, I found it would not be safe to 

 bring her to, and in the morning we found ourselves con- 

 siderably to the northward of that port. About 8 o'clock, 

 the wind became very light, and shifted to tlie northward^ 

 bringing with it a very thick fog. I, however, stood to the 

 eastward, with an expectation of seeing the land ; and ^ir 

 meridian, the fog having cleared off for a few minutes, we 

 discovered it, at the distance of about eight miles, our la- 

 titude being 35° 40' south, and our soundings one hundred 

 and five fathoms, green oozy bottom. The water at this 

 time was much discoloured. 



1 now considered myself in a good position to meet ves- 

 sels plying between Conception and Valparaiso ; and as 

 neither the health of the crew, the state of my provisions, 

 nor the distresses of the ship, rendered my going into port 

 absolutely necessary, I determined to keep the sea a while 

 longer, in hopes of meeting some of the enemy's ships, and 

 thereby obtain such supplies as would render it entirely 

 unnecessary to make ourselves known on the coast, until 

 we were about quitting it. Unfortunately, the fog conti- 

 nued to envelope us, and prevented our extending our view 

 a mile beyond the ship, which rendered it unsafe to keep 

 so close in shore as I wished; for although the land is very 

 high all along this coast, and in clear weather may be seen 

 from a great distance, yet the state of the atmosphere wii 

 such, that before we could see it distinctly, the white foam 

 of breakers^ among the rocks which skirt it, was evident tb 



