PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
99 
to us a scene of gloomy solitude, far exceeding any thing I ever 
before experienced. The winds now freshening up, enabled us 
to make sail to the northward ; and as the weather was clear, I 
determined to keep close in with the coast, that no vessel might 
be enabled to pass between us and the shore unobserved ; but in 
the course of our run this and the next day we could discover no 
vessels of any description, or the least trace of the existence of a 
human being on the coast, except in one instance, when a fire 
was lighted in the evening in a small cove, probably by some 
Indians, or persons engaged in smuggling, and intended, no 
doubt, as an invitation for us to land. 
On the morning of the 13th, we discovered that our main top- 
sail-yard was badly sprung, and were compelled to get it down 
and replace it with another, which we were so fortunate as to 
have on board; and on the .afternoon of that day, we made the 
point three or four leagues to the south-west of the bay of Val¬ 
paraiso, and called by the Spaniards Quaranmilla. This point, as 
you come from the southward, may be known by its sloping off 
gently towards the sea; and close to the end of it is a small 
rugged island, or rather large rock, about the height of a ship’s 
masts. At 8 P. M., I brought the point to bear N.N.E., distant 
about four leagues, and then hove to, with the hope of inter¬ 
cepting some vessel in the morning, bound to Valparaiso, as all 
vessels bound there endeavour to make this point ; but at sun¬ 
rise, not discovering a sail, I determined to look into the har¬ 
bour, and see at once v/hat hopes we had in this quarter, and ac¬ 
cordingly steered away for point Quaranmilla under all sail, dou¬ 
bling it at the distance of half a league. After passing this point, 
we perceived some scattering rocks lying some distance from 
shore, and shortly afterwards opened a handsome bay, with a fine 
sandy beach, and perceived a few fishing boats engaged there in 
fishing; and wishing to have some communication with them, I 
hoisted the English ensign and pendant, and a jack for a pilot, but 
none of them appeared disposed to come along side. In the bot¬ 
tom of the bay was a small enclosure with a hut, and on the top 
of the next projecting point was another small building, appa¬ 
rently covered with tiles; and on the sides of the neighbouring 
