Chap. I. Captain Georg 
September 19th about Midnight, I perceived the Water to 
be difcoloured all at once ; whereupon we founded, and 
found twenty-fix Fathom : Which done, I flood off to Sea ; 
but did not deepen our W ater in the running of five Leagues. 
At fix the next Morning, we had thirty Fathom ; but had 
no Sight of Land, tho 5 fome were of Opinion, that they 
had ; which I did not depend upon. This Bank mull lie 
very near the Entrance of the Streights of Magellan. On 
this Bank-fhole, we faw great Numbers of Blubbers, appear- 
ing like the Tops of Umbrellas, curioufly ftreaked with all 
forts of Colours ; which were a Species intirely different 
from what I had ever feen before. From hence I fhaped 
my Courfe for the Streights of le Maire , ; and, as we ap- 
proached the Coafts of Terra del Fuego , met with very foggy 
Weather. On the 23d, the Fog clearing up, we faw fome 
Mountains of ft upend ous Height on Terra del Fuego , 
intirely covered with Snow. The neareft Point of Land to 
us was at leaft eight Leagues diftant, bearing South-weft ; 
but, before we could make any further Difcovery, the 
Mill returned: Therefore I flood off for fome time, and 
then brought-to. At four the next Morning, I made an 
eafy Sail to the South-eaft ward, and, at Day-light, it proved 
very clear ; when I found I had fallen in with the Land 
about five Leagues to the North- weft ward of the Streights 
of le Maire. We had now a full, but melancholy Profpecl 
of the mofl defolate Country (to all Appearance) that can 
be conceived, feeming to be no other than continued Chains 
of Mountains one behind another, perpetually hid by the 
Snow. Before we came on the Coafl of T err a del Fuego , 
we had not been fenftbJe of any Help or Hindrance by any 
Currents, from the Time that we had got to the Southward 
of the River of Plate ; but, this Afternoon, we were hurried 
with incredible Rapidity into thofe Streights ; and, juft as 
we had gained fomewhat more than Mid-paffage, the Tide 
flacked. We then founded, and had but twenty-feven 
Fathom, a rocky Bottom. At the fame time, I took an 
Opportunity to make what Obfervation I could of the Place. 
We had a clear View of Staten-land , which yields a moil 
uncomfortable Landfchape of a furprifing Height, covered 
with Snow to the very Waffi of the Sea, and bears more of 
the Likenefs of an huge white Cloud, than of firm Land. 
Thefe Streights feem to anfwer very well to Mr. Frezier’s 
Map of them, being about feven Leagues through, fix 
Leagues wide, and lie almoft North and South; but the 
Northern Tide ruftied upon us with a Violence equal to that 
which had brought us in. It prevented my making any fur- 
ther Remarks, and afforded Matter of Aftonifhment to us 
all, to fee how fail we were driven out again, notwithftand- 
ing we had a frefh fair Gale at North-weft, and when, at 
the fame time, we went fix Knots by the Log ; by which I 
cannot judge this Tide to run lefs than ten Knots in an 
Hour. In fhort, we were quite carried out in about an 
Hour’s time. Upon the fhifting of the Tide to Windward, 
there arofe fuch a fhort Sea, which, at the fame time, was 
fo lofty, that we alternately dipped our Bowfprit and our 
Poop-lanterns into the Water. Our Ship laboured in the 
moft violent Manner, and did not anfwer the Guidance of 
her Helm ; but, at Midnight, the Tide fhifted, and we 
put through the Streights, fleering South, with a brifk Gale 
at North-weft, without feeing the Land diftinjlly ; and, in 
the Morning, had a very good Offing to the Southward. 
After we had got well to Sea, we unftocked our Anchors, 
and brought them aft, and got in our Spritfail-yard, to eafe 
our Bows, and make every thing as fnug as poffible. We 
had found it very cold before we came this Length ; but 
now began to feel the Extremity of it. The bleak Wefterly 
"Winds of themfelves would have been fufficiently piercing ; 
but they were always attended either with Snow or Sleet, 
which, continually beating on our Sails and Rigging, had 
cafed the Malls, and every Rope, with Ice, and had, in a 
manncr,^made our Sails almoft ufelefs to us. So much were 
we accuftomed to the molt fevere Storms, that we ufed to 
think it tolerable Weather, if we could bear a reefed Main- 
fail ; lor it was common with us to be two or three Days 
together lying- to. under bare Poles, and expofed to the 
Shocks of prodigious Seas, much larger than any I ever 
faw. Now we began to be throughly fenfible of the Be- 
nefit of our Awning ; and indeed we could have fcarce 
lived without it. The Winds reigning thus tempeftuoufly, 
E S HELVOCKK. 20| 
without Intermiffion, in the Weftern Board, we were driven 
to the Latitude of 6i° 30 / South. Add to this, our Mif- 
fortune of having continual mifty Weather, which laid us 
under hourly Apprehenfions of running foul of Elands of 
Ice; but, thank God, we efcaped that Danger, though we 
had many Alarms by Fog banks, and other falfe Appear- 
ances. Notwithftanding we had the Days' very long, yet 
it was very feldom that we could get a Sight of the Sun ; 
fo that we had but one Obfervation of the Variation in all 
this Paffage, which was in the Latitude of 6o° 37' South, 
5 0 to the Weftward of the Streights of le Maire , where we 
found it 22 0 6' North-eaft. On Oblober 1. at feven in the 
Evening, as they were furling the Mainfail, one JVilliam 
Camell cried out, That his Hands and Fingers were fo be- 
numbed, that he could not hold himfelf ; but, before thofe 
that were next him could come to his Affiftance, he fell 
down, and was drowned. The Cold is certainly much 
more infupportable in thefe, than in the fame Latitudes to 
the Northward ; for, altho 5 we were pretty much advanced 
in the Summer- feafon, and had the Days very long, yet we 
had continual Squalls of Sleet, Snow, and Rain ; and the 
Heavens were perpetually hidden from us by gloomy Clouds. 
In fir o it, one would think it impoffible, that any living Crea- 
ture could fubfift in fo rigid a Climate ; and indeed we all 
obferved, that we had not had the Sight of one Fiffi of any 
kind, fince we were come to the Southward of the Streights 
of le Maire , nor one Sea-bird, except a difconfolate black 
Albitrofs, which accompanied us for feveral Days, hover- 
ing about us, as if it had loft itfelf ^ till Mr. Hatley , obferv* 
ing, in one of his melancholy Fits, that this Bird was always 
hovering near us, imagined, from its Colour, that it might 
be an ill Omen ; and fo, after fome fruitlefs Attempts, at 
length ftiot the Albitrofs, not doubting that we ffiould have 
a fair Wind after it. On the 2 2d about eight at Night, 
our Fore-top-maft was carried away ; and we rigged an- 
other the next Morning. We kept creeping very flowly to 
the Northward, having, from that time we paffed the 
Streights of le Maire , met with contrary Winds, and the 
moft uncomfortable Weather ; under which nothing could 
have fupported us, but the Hopes of coming fpeedily into 
a warmer and better Climate. 
6 . We cheated our Spirits as well as we could with 
thefe Expectations till the 14th of November at Noon, 
when we firft faw the Coafl of Chili ; and here again we 
found ourfelves under very great Difficulties ; for our 
tedious Paffage, and extraordinary Confumption of Pro- 
vifions, had reduced us to fuch an extreme Neceffity of 
Water and Wood, as well as dry Food, that every body 
faw the Neceffity of our repairing to fome Place where, we 
might fupply ourfelves with all we wanted ; but, where 
this Place was to be found, was the next Queftion, and 
that none of the eafiefl to refolve. I thought firft of Nar - 
borough ’s Ifland ; but, when we came thither, we found 
the Road fo unfafe, that I was forced to fail for the Mouth 
of the River St. Domingo , on the Continent ; at the En- 
trance of which, we found twenty-eight Fathom Water ; 
but, as we advanced, we found it ffiole from eighteen . to 
lefs than five Fathom, as fail as a Man could heave the 
Lead : Being therefore unwilling to run too great a Rifque 
in a Place fo unfrequented, and being only a fingle Ship, I 
inftantly flood out to Sea again, where, meeting with 
windy, rainy, and thick Weather, we were blown farther 
to the Northward than we defigned. In this Diftrefs, a 
Frenchman I had on board, whofeName was Jofeph de la 
Fontaine , propofed going to the Ifland of Ckiloe y which 
lay a little to the Northward, and where he affured us we 
could not fail of meeting with whatever we wanted, there 
being, as he afferted, no Place in the South Seas capable 
of accommodating us fo well in all refpedts. He told us 
farther, of his own Knowledge, having been there, that 
the Towns of Chacao and Calibuco , the firft on the Ifland, 
and the fecond on the Continent, were rich Places ; that 
the former was the ufual Refidence of the Governor ; and 
that, at the latter, there was a wealthy College of Jefuits ; 
and that there were confiderable Magazines, which were 
always well-flocked with Provifions of all Kinds. At the 
fame time that he acquainted me with this, he infinuated 
the fame Account, with fome Additions, into his Ship- 
mates, who, with one Voice, concluded, that, if I paffed 
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