P^ORTER S JOURNAL. 



233 



tltOQis w ater, where you lie well in the bank, and there is lit- 

 tle or no danger of drifting olF. We lay too far out, and on 

 the edge of the bank, where it was very steep ; our anchor, 

 as I beiore observed, lay in nineteen fathoms, while our stern 

 lay in twenty-seven. We were moored with our ridge to 

 the westward, the northwest point of the bay bearing W. by 

 S. ; the northwest point of Rodgers' Island E. N. E. ; the 

 south point E. by S. three quarters S ; the west point of the 

 south part of Chatham Island north ; the east point N. by 

 E. three quarters E. ; Barrington Island N. W. by W. ; 

 and Charles' Island W. S. W. The wind, during the day, 

 generally blew from the southeast, but at night it was calm ; 

 the tides set E. N. E. and N. N. W\, along the land, and 

 the rise and fall was about ten feet. 



We here procured an abundance of fish along side with 

 the hook and line, but were not enabled to procure more 

 than fifty tortoises, and they small, but of a quality far su- 

 perior to those found on James' Island. They were simi- 

 lar in appearance to those of Charles' Island, very fat and 

 delicious. The vegetable productions were nearly the same 

 as those of the other islands, and the island is evidently of 

 volcanic origin, but it appears to have been a long time 

 since it has suffered from their ravages. Few birds are found 

 here, and they of the same description as those found on the 

 others. We saw a few lizards, but no snakes nor guanas. 

 We killed a few seals, and saw a number of turtle, but caught 

 none ; and on the most diligent search could find no fresh 

 water. Wood is scarce, very small and withered ; and the 

 whole island, and every thing on it, appears parched up and 

 famished for the want of rain. 



We lay here until the 8th September, in hopes of the ar-. 

 rival of lieutenant Downes, or the appearance of some 

 stranger, as this is the island which all whale-ships endea- 

 vour to make, running down for Albemarle between it and 

 Chatham Island. On the 8th I prepared to weigh, but, pre- 

 vious to quitting the bay, sent on shore a letter for lieutenant 

 Downes, similar to those left at Charles' and James'. It was 

 buried in a bottle at the back of the sand beach, at the 

 foot of a post, on which was nailed a board, with the fol- 

 lowing inscription, — S. Xe, Anno Dom. 1813. 



And now having accomplished the main object for which 

 VOL* I, :30 



