PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
147 
after rowing as far as Point Christopher, a distance of 15 miles, 
we found the shore every where bound with craggy rocks, against 
which the sea broke with inconceivable violence. The rocks were 
every where covered with seals, penguins, guanas, and pelicans, 
and the sea filled with green turtle, which might have been taken 
with the greatest ease, had we been enabled to have taken them 
into our boat; for we sometimes rowed right against them, with¬ 
out their making an exertion to get out of our way. Multitudes 
of enormous sharks were swimming about us, and from time to 
time caused us no little uneasiness, from the ferocious manner 
in which they came at the boat and snapped at our oars ; for 
she was of the lightest construction, with remarkably thin plank, 
and a gripe from one of those would have torn them from her tim¬ 
bers ; but we guarded as much as lay in our power against the 
evil, by thrusting boarding pikes into them as they came up to us. 
As we proceeded along shore, and when we had arrived at a 
black gravelly beach, within about five miles of Point Christo¬ 
pher, we saw the shore covered with the wreck of some vessel, 
which, from the number of pieces, apparently staves, among 
them, I am induced to believe was that of a whaler; but as the 
surf beat so high, that we could not land without risking the 
safety of the boat, we were unable to determine whether her con¬ 
struction was American or British. From the appearance of the 
wreck, I should suppose she had not been lost more than two or 
three years ; we could not, however, form any correct opinion 
on the subject, as the whole wreck consisted of a multitude of 
fragments, no part of the body of the vessel standing. She ap¬ 
pears to have gone entirely to pieces, and some of her copper, 
See. has been thrown a great distance among the rocks, by the 
violence of the sea. 
The water is very bold all along this coast, and the largest 
ship may sail within a stone’s throw of it, without the least risk 
of touching the bottom ; but yet it is not safe to approach too 
near the shore, as calms are very frequent here, the currents vio¬ 
lent and irregular, and a heavy swell constantly heaving on shore; 
and it would be almost impossible to bring a vessel up by her 
anchors, before she would strike against the sides of the rocks 
