Chap. I. Commodore R 
They palled the Streights, which are about ten Leagues 
in Length, and fix over, where they are the brcadeft, with 
a Swiftnefs not to be exprelfed, which was owing to the 
Force of a Current. Thefe Currents without the Streights, 
joined to a ftrong Weft Wind, carried them out a great 
'Way from the Coaft of America and, that they might be 
lure to get round Cape Horn , they failed as high as the 
Latitude of 62° 30b There, for three Weeks together, 
they fuftained the moft dreadful Gufts of a furious Weft 
Wind, accompanied with Hail, Snow, and the moft 
piercing Froft. They were very apprehend ve, left the 
Violence of the Wind might, while they were invelopecl 
with thick Mills, have driven them upon Mountains of 
Ice, which muft have expofed them to certain Shipwreck. 
Whenever the Weather was a little ferene, they had fcarce 
any Night at all ; for, being the midft of January , the 
Summer was at its Height in that Climate, and the Days 
at their utmofc Length. Thefe Mountains of Ice, of 
which they were fo much afraid, were vifible from the 
Height of Cape Horn ; and are certain Proofs, that thofe 
Southern Countries extend quite to their Pole, as well as 
thofe under the North •, for, without Queftion, fuch vaft 
Hills ol Ice cannot either be produced in the Sea, or 
formed by the common Force of Cold. It mull therefore 
be concluded, that they are occafioned by the Violence of 
Currents, and of fharp piercing Winds, blowing out of 
Gulphs, or the Mouths of large Rivers. It is, on the 
other Side, no lefs certain, that the Currents difcerned in 
this Ocean proceed all from the Mouths of Rivers, which, 
rolling down from an high Continent, fall into the Sea with 
fuch Impetuofity, that they preferve a great Part of their 
Force, even after they have entered it. The great Quan- 
tity of Birds that are feen here, is an additional Proof, that 
Land cannot be far off. 
It may be demanded, whether this Continent is inha- 
bited or not : For my Part, fays the Author, the Affirm- 
ative feems the moft probable to me. It may, poffibly, be 
afked, how it can be imagined, that Men fhould live in 
fuch a Climate as that of 70 Degrees, where the Winter 
is fo very long, the Summer 1b fhort, and where, for a 
great Part of the Year, they muft be involved in per- 
petual Night ? To this I anfwer, that fuch as dwell here, 
come hither only in the fine Seafon, in order to filh, and 
retire on the Approach of Winter, as many of the Sub' 
je£ls of the Riffian Empire, and the Inhabitants of Davis's 
Streights, who, after they have throughly provided them- 
felves with Fifh on the Coafts of a frozen Climate, retire 
farther within Land, and eat, during the Winter, in their 
Cabins, the Filh they have taken in the Summer. I fay 
farther, fays he, that if the People, who are to be met 
with in Greenland , and Davis's Streights, are to be relied 
on, they inform us, that the Country is inhabited, even to 
the Height of yo° in V/ inter as well as Summer ; and 
what is prafticable in one Country, cannot juftly be reputed 
incredible when fappofed in another. The contrary Winds 
having driven thefe Dutch Ships 500 Leagues from the 
Continent, the Commodore believed, that he was now 
beyond Cape Horn , and therefore fleered North-eaft and 
by North, in order to fall in with the Coaft of Chili. After 
continuing this Courfe for three Weeks, and feeing no 
Land, they began to conclude, that they had not doubled 
Cape Horn , but had flood away Northerly too foon. On 
the 10th of March, however, being in the Latitude of 
37 ° 3°' 5 f h e y difeovered, to their great Joy, the long 
wifhed-for Coaft of Chili, and foon after anchored on the 
Coaft of the Ifiand Mocha , which is three Leagues from 
the Continent. They were in hopes of finding on this 
Ifiand, at leaft, a Part of the Refrefhments they wanted, but 
more elpecially frefn Meat and Herbs ; but, to their great 
Suiprize, were difappointed, by perceiving it intirely 
abandoned, and that all its Inhabitants had tranfported 
them f elves to the Main-land, ft hey law, however, upon 
the Ifiand, a Multitude of Horfes and Birds ; and, in two 
Cabins near the Shore, they found fome Dogs. Upon a 
fli idler and cl ole r Search, they difeovered the W^ reck of a 
Cpanijh Ship, from whence they concluded the Dogs had 
got on ftiore. As to the Horfes, they concluded, that 
they weie left there to graze, and that their. Owners came 
at certain times from the Main to take them up, as they 
O G G E W E-I Ne 26^ 
had Occafion for them. They killed abundance of Geefe 
and Ducks ;• and, after having travel fed every Part of the 
Country, finding the Coaft extremely rocky, and no Place 
where they could anchor with Safety, they refolved to 
put to Sea again without Delay. 
9. But, before they executed this Refolution, the Com- 
modore held a Council with his Officers, in order £0 confider 
how they fhould proceed, and what Courfe was to be taken 
next ; in which it was determined to continue, for fome 
time, on the Coaft ol Chili , in hopes of meeting with fome 
Port where they might anchor with Safety, and get fome 
Refrefhments. This Refolution, however, they after- 
wards laid afide, becaufe they perceived the Spaniards 
every-where upon their Guard, and their Coafts "fo well 
provided, that it would have been dangerous for diem to 
have made any Attempt. They likewife obferved, that, 
notwit hftanding the Country of Chili appeared extrava- 
gantly high at a Diftance, yet, as they failed along-fhore, 
they dilcovered it was not higher than the Englijh Coaft, 
and that they had been led into this Miftake by the pro- 
digious Height of the Mountains behind it ; the Tops of 
which were hid in the Clouds, and covered with perpetual 
Snows. After much Deliberation, the Commodore and 
African Galley, which r.o Storms could ever ieparate from 
him, fleered Weft North-weft for the Ifiand o i Juan Fer- 
nandez , at the Diftance, as they apprehended, of about 
ninety Leagues. As they had a favourable Wind, they 
made Way at a great Rate, fo that on the 4th Day they had 
Sight of the Ifiand, but could not come to an Anchor in 
the Road, by reafon of its falling calm. 
The next Day, when they were juft ready to go in, they 
faw, to their exceffive Surprize, a Ship riding there. At 
firft Sight, they conjectured, that fine was either a Spanijh 
Ship of Force, or a French Interloper , but, upon more 
mature Confideration, they concluded, Die muft be a 
Pirate. While they were confulting what was beft to be 
done, they faw the Shallop, belonging to the Ship, in the 
Road, making towards them, with a Spanijh Flag ; upon 
which they prepared for an Engagement j but their 
Amazement was not to be defcribed, v/hen, on its nearer 
Approach, fome of the Sailors cried out. That it v/as the 
Shallop of the Fienhoven , their Confort, feparated from them 
three Months before in the Storm, and which they con- 
cluded^ had been buried in the Waves. Captain Bowman 
himfelf was in the Shallop, who, upon this Occafion, 
fhewed how well he deferved the Truft that had been 
repofed in him ; for, by the Commodore’s Orders, in cafe 
of a Separation, this was to be the firft Place of Ren- 
dezvous ; and, after cruifing for fix Weeks, they were to 
repair to the Height of 28° South Latitude, and to cruife 
there for the fame Space of Time ; but, in cafe they failed 
in meeting the Commodore in both Places, they were then 
to open their fealed Inftruftions, delivered with their Com- 
miffions, and to purfue them exadtly. As foon as Cap- 
tain Bowman was on board, he made the Signal agreed on 
with his own Ship, in order to acquaint them, that thefe 
two Ships were their Conforts •, fo that, entering into the 
Harbour, they faluted each other reciprocally with five 
Pieces of Cannon. As foon as they had Leifure to enter 
into Particulars, the Captain gave them an Account of all 
that had happened fince their Separation. He acquainted 
them with the Dangers he had run through in palling the 
Streights of Magellan , what Storms and Tempefts he had 
met with on the Coaft of America ; and, in the End, freely 
acknowledged, that he concluded the Commodore, and the 
African Galley, were both loft in the Hurricane, and never 
expedled to fee them more. He likewife told them, that 
his Ship was in a very bad Condition, and that he arrived 
in this Road only the Evening before. After hearing this, 
the Captains dined very chearfully together on board the 
Fienhoven , where they commiferated their paft Misfortunes, 
and rejoiced at their prefent Meeting in Safety. As there 
flill continued a dead Calm, it was impoffible for them to 
come to an Anchor in the Place where they intended, and 
therefore they were obliged to remain that Night in foiir- 
icoie Fathom Wftter \ but the next Day they got up clofe 
by the Fienhoven , where they anchored in forty Fathoms 
Water, that Yeffel lying within Mufquet-ffiot of the 
Shore, 
As 
