are made out of a single tree, and carry from two to six men: These are
used chiefly for fishing, and we constantly saw many of them busy upon
the reef: Some were constructed of planks, very dexterously sewed
together: These were of different sizes, and would carry from ten to
forty men. Two of them were generally lashed together, and two masts set
up between them; if they were single, they had an out-rigger on one
side, and only one mast in the middle. With these vessels they sail far
beyond the sight of land, probably to other islands, and bring home
plantains, bananas, and yams, which seem also to be more plenty upon
other parts of this island, than that off which the ship lay. A third
sort seem to be intended principally for pleasure and show: They are
very large, but have no sail, and in shape resemble the gondolas of
Venice: The middle is covered with a large awning, and some of the
people sit upon it, some under it. None of these vessels came near the
ship, except on the first and second day after our arrival; but we saw,
three or four times a week, a procession of eight or ten of them passing
at a distance, with streamers flying, and a great number of small canoes
attending them, while many hundreds of people run a-breast of them along
the shore. They generally rowed to the outward point of a reef which
lay about four miles to the westward of us, where they stayed about an
hour, and then returned. These processions, however, are never made but
in fine weather, and all the people on board are dressed; though in the
other canoes they have only a piece of cloth wrapped round their middle.
Those who rowed and steered were dressed in white; those who sat upon
the awning and under it in white and red, and two men who were mounted
on the prow of each vessel were dressed in red only. We sometimes went
out to observe them in our boats, and though we were never nearer than a
mile, we saw them with our glasses as distinctly us if we had been upon
the spot.
The plank of which these vessels are constructed, is made by splitting a
tree, with the grain, into as many thin pieces us they can. They first
fell the tree with a kind of hatchet, or adze, made of a tough greenish
kind of stone, very dexterously fitted into a handle; it is then cut
into such lengths as are required for the plank, one end of which is
heated till it begins to crack, and then with wedges of hard wood they
split it down: Some of these planks are two feet broad, and from fifteen
to twenty feet long. The sides are smoothed with adzes of the same
materials and construction, but of a smaller size. Six or eight men are
sometimes at work upon the same plank together, and, as their tools
presently lose their edge, every man has by him a cocoa-nut shell filled
with water, and a flat stone, with which he sharpens his adze almost
every minute. These planks are generally brought to the thickness of
about an inch, and are afterwards fitted to the boat with the same
exactness that would be expected from an expert joiner. To fasten these
planks together, holes are bored with a piece of bone that is fixed into
a slick for that purpose, a use to which our nails were afterwards
applied with great advantage, and through these holes a kind of plaited
cordage is passed, so as to hold the planks strongly together: The seams
are caulked with dried rushes, and the whole outside of the vessel is
paid with a gummy juice, which some of their trees produce in great
plenty, and which is a very good succedaneum for pitch.
The wood which they use for their large canoes, is that of the
apple-tree, which grows very tall and straight. Several of them that
were measured, were near eight feet in the girth, and from twenty to
forty to the branches, with very little diminution in the size. Our
carpenter said, that in other respects it was not a good wood for the
purpose, being very light. The small canoes are nothing more than the
hollow trunk of the bread-fruit tree, which is still more light and
spongy. The trunk of the bread-fruit tree is six feet in girth, and
about twenty feet to the branches.
Their principal weapons are stones, thrown either with the hand or
sling, and bludgeons; for though they have bows and arrows, the arrows
are only fit to knock down a bird, none of them being pointed, but
headed only with a round stone.
I did not see one turtle all the while I lay off this island; but, upon
shewing some small ones which I brought from Queen Charlotte's Island,
to the inhabitants, they made signs that they had them of a much larger
size. I very much regretted my having lost our he-goat, which died soon
after we left St Iago, and that neither of our she-goats, of which we
had two, were with kid. If the he-goat had lived, I would have put them
all on shore at this place, and I would have left a she-goat here if
either of them had been with kid; and I doubt not, but that in a few
years they would have stocked the island.
The climate here appears to be very good, and the island to be one of
the most healthy as well as delightful spots in the world. We saw no
appearance of disease among the inhabitants. The hills are covered with
wood, and the vallies with herbage; and the air in general is so pure,
that, notwithstanding the heat, our flesh meat kept very well two days,
and our fish one. We met with no frog, toad, scorpion, centipied, or
serpent of any kind: And the only troublesome insects that we saw were
ants, of which there were but few.
The south-east part of the island seems to be better cultivated and
inhabited than where we lay, for we saw every day boats come round from
thence laden with plantains and other fruit, and we always found greater
plenty, and a lower price, soon after their arrival, than before.
The tide rises and falls very little, and, being governed by the winds,
is very uncertain; though they generally blow from the E. to the S.E.,
and for the most part a pleasant breeze.
The benefit that we received while we lay off this island, with respect
to the health of the ship's company, was beyond our most sanguine
expectations, for we had not now an invalid on board, except the two
lieutenants and myself, and we were recovering, though still in a very
feeble condition.
It is certain that none of our people contracted the venereal disease
here, and therefore, as they had free commerce with great numbers of the
women, there is the greatest probability that it was not then known in
the country. It was, however, found here by Captain Cook, in the
Endeavour, and as no European vessel is known to have visited this
island before Captain Cook's arrival, but the Dolphin, and the Boudeuse
and Etoil, commanded by M. Bougainville, the reproach of having
contaminated, with that dreadful pest, a race of happy people, to whom
its miseries had till then been unknown, most be due either to him or to
me, to England or to France; and I think myself happy to be able to
exculpate myself and my country beyond the possibility of doubt.
It is well known that the surgeon on board his majesty's ships keeps a
list of the persons who are sick on board, specifying their diseases,
and the times when they came under his care, and when they were
discharged. It happened that I was once at the pay-table on board a
ship, when several sailors objected to the payment of the surgeon,
alleging, that although he had discharged them from the list, and
reported them to be cured, yet their cure was incomplete. From this
time, it has been my constant practice when the surgeon reported a man
to be cured, who had been upon the sick-list, to call the man before me,
and ask him whether the report was true: If he alleged that any symptoms
of his complaint remained, I continued him upon the list; if not, I
required him, as a confirmation of the surgeon's report, to sign the
book, which was always done in my presence. A copy of the sick-list on
board the Dolphin, during this voyage, signed by every man in my
presence, when he was discharged well, in confirmation of the surgeon's
report, written in my own hand, and confirmed by my affidavit, I have
deposited in the Admiralty; by which it appears, that the last man on
board the ship, in her voyage outward, who was upon the sick-list for
the venereal disease, except one who was sent to England in the
store-ship, was discharged cured, and signed the book on the 27th of
December, 1766, near six months before our arrival at Otaheite, which
was on the 19th of June, 1767; and that the first man who was upon the
list for that disease, in our return home, was entered on the 26th of
February, 1768, six months after we left the island, which was on the
26th of July, 1767; so that the ship's company was entirely free
fourteen months within one day, the very middle of which time we spent
at Otaheite; and the man who was first entered as a venereal patient, on
our return home, was known to have contracted the disease at the Cape of
Good Hope, where we then lay.
SECTION IX.
_Passage from Otaheite to Tinian, with some Account of several other
Islands that were discovered in the South Seas._
Having made sail from King George the Third's Island, we proceeded along
the shore of the Duke of York's Island, at the distance of about two
miles. There appeared to be good bays in every part of it, and in the
middle a fine harbour; but I did not think it worth while to go on
shore. The middle and west end is very mountainous, the east end is
lower, and the coast, just within the beach, is covered with cocoa-nut,
bread-fruit, apple, and plantain trees.
At daylight, the next morning, we saw land, for which we made sail, and
ran along the lee-side of it. On the weather-side there were very great
breakers, and the lee-side was rocky, but in many places there appeared
to be good anchorage. We saw but few inhabitants, and they appeared to
live in a manner very different from those of King George's Island,
their habitations being only small huts. We saw many cocoa-nut and other
trees upon the shore; but all of than had their heads blown away,
probably in a hurricane. This island is about six miles long, and has a
mountain of considerable height in the middle, which seems to be
fertile. It lies in latitude 17° 28' S., and longitude, by our last
observation, 151° 4' W. and I called it _Sir Charles Saunders's Island_.
On the 29th, the variation of the compass, by azimuth, was 7° 52' E.;
and early the next morning, at day-break, we saw land bearing from N. by
E. to N.W. We stood for it, but could find no anchorage, the whole
island being surrounded by breakers. We saw smoke in two places, but no
inhabitants. A few cocoa-nut trees were growing on the lee-part of it,
and I called it _Lord Howe's Island_. It is about ten miles long, and
four broad, and lies in latitude 16° 46' S., longitude, by observation,
154° 13' W.
In the afternoon, we saw land bearing W. by N. and stood for it. At five
o'clock, we saw breakers running a great way out to the southward, and
soon after, low land to the S.W. and breakers all about it in every
direction.
We turned to windward all night, and as soon as it was light, crowded
sail to get round these shoals. At nine we got round them, and named
them _Scilly Islands_. They are a group of islands or shoals extremely
dangerous; for in the night, however clear the weather, and by day, if
it is hazy, a ship may run upon them without seeing land. They lie in
latitude 16° 28' S. longitude 155° 30' W.
We continued to steer our course westward, till daybreak on the 13th of
August, when we saw land bearing W. by S. and hauled towards it. At
eleven o'clock in the forenoon, we saw more land in the W.S.W. At noon,
the first land that we saw, which proved to be an island, bore W. 1/2 S.
distant about five leagues, and had the appearance of a sugar-loaf; the
middle of the other land, which was also an island, and appeared in a
peak, bore W.S.W. distant six leagues. To the first, which is nearly
circular, and three miles over, I gave the name of _Boscawen's Island_;
and the other, which is three miles and a half long, and two broad, I
called _Keppel's Isle_. Port Royal at this time bore E. 4° 10' S.
distant 478 leagues.
At two o'clock, being about two miles distant from Boscawen's Island, we
saw several of the inhabitants; but Keppel's Isle being to windward, and
appearing more likely to afford us anchorage, we hauled up for it. At
six, it was not more than a mile and a half distant, and, with our
glasses, we saw many of the inhabitants upon the beach; but there being
breakers at a considerable distance from the shore, we stood off and on
all night.
At four o'clock the next morning, we sent off the boats to sound, and
visit the island; and as soon as it was light, we ran down and lay
over-against the middle of it. At noon, the boats returned, and reported
that they had run within a cable's length of the island, but could find
no ground: That seeing a reef of rocks lie off it, they had hauled round
it, and got into a large, deep bay which was full of rocks: That they
then sounded without the bay, and found anchorage from fourteen to
twenty fathom, with a bottom of sand and coral: That afterwards they
went again into the bay, and found a rivulet of good water, but the
shore being rocky, went in search of a better landing-place, which they
found about half a mile farther, and went ashore. They reported also,
that from the water to this landing-place, a good rolling-way might be
made for supplying the ship, but that a strong guard would be necessary,
to prevent molestation from the inhabitants. They saw no hogs, but
brought off two fowls and some cocoa-nuts, plantains, and bananas. While
the boats were on shore, two canoes came up to them with six men: They
seemed to be peaceably inclined, and were much the same kind of people
as the inhabitants of King George's Island, but they were clothed in a
kind of matting, and the first joint of their little fingers had been
taken off; at the same time about fifty more came down from the country,
to within about an hundred yards of them, but would advance no farther.
When our people had made what observations they could, they put off, and
three of the natives from the canoes came into one of the boats, but
when she got about half a mile from the shore, they all suddenly jumped
overboard, and swam back again.
Having received this account, I considered that the watering here would
be tedious, and attended with great fatigue: That it was now the depth
of winter in the southern hemisphere, that the ship was leaky, that the
rudder shook the stern very much, and that what other damage she might
have received in her bottom could not be known. That for these reasons,
she was very unfit for the bad weather which she would certainly meet
with either in going round Cape Horn, or through the streight of
Magellan: That if she should get safely through the streight, or round
the cape, it would be absolutely necessary for her to refresh in some
port, but in that case no port would be in her reach; I therefore
determined to make the best of my way to Tinian, Batavia, and so to
Europe by the Cape of Good Hope. By this route, as far as we could
judge, we should sooner be at home; and if the ship should prove not to
be in a condition to make the whole voyage, we should still save our
lives, as from this place to Batavia we should probably have a calm sea,
and be not far from a port.
In consequence of this resolution, at noon I bore away, and passed
Boscawen's Island without visiting it. It is a high round island,
abounding in wood, and full of people; but Keppel's Isle is by far the
largest and the best of the two.
Boscawen's Island lies in latitude 15° 50' S. longitude 175° W. and
Keppel's Isle in latitude 15° 55' S. longitude 175° 3' W.
We continued a W.N.W. course till ten o'clock in the morning of Sunday
the 16th, when we saw land bearing N. by E. and hauled up for it. At
noon, we were within three leagues of it: The land within shore appeared
to be high, but at the water-side it was low, and had a pleasant
appearance; the whole seemed to be surrounded by reefs, that ran two or
three miles into the sea. As we sailed along the shore, which was
covered with cocoa-nut trees, we saw a few huts, and smoke in several
parts up the country. Soon after we hauled without a reef of rocks, to
get round the lee-side of the island, and at the same time sent out the
boats to sound, and examine the coast.
The boats rowed close along the shore, and found it rocky, with trees
growing close down to the water-side. These trees were of different
sorts, many of them very large; but had no fruit: On the lee-side,
however, there were a few cocoa-nuts, but not a single habitation was to
be seen. They discovered several small rills of water, which, by
clearing, might have been made to run in a larger stream. Soon after
they had got close to the shore, several canoes came up to them, each
having six or eight men on board. They appeared to be a robust, active
people, and were quite naked, except a kind of mat that was wrapped
round their middle. They were armed with large maces or clubs, such as
Hercules is represented with, two of which they sold to the master for a
nail or two, and some trinkets. As our people had seen no animal, either
bird or beast, except sea-fowl, they were very desirous to learn of the
natives whether they had either, but could not make themselves
understood. It appears, that during this conference, a design was formed
to seize our cutter, for one of the Indians suddenly laid hold of her
painter, and hauled her upon the rocks. Our people endeavoured, in
vain, to make them desist, till they fired a musket cross the nose of
the man that was most active in the mischief. No hurt was done; but the
fire and report so affrighted them, that they made off with great
precipitation. Both our boats then put off, but the water had fallen so
suddenly that they found it very difficult to get back to the ship; for
when they came into deep water they found the points of rocks standing
up, and the whole reef, except in one part, was now dry, and a great sea
broke over it. The Indians probably perceived their distress, for they
turned back, and followed them in their canoes all along the reef till
they got to the breach, and then seeing them clear, and making way fast
towards the ship, they returned.
About six in the evening, it being then dark, the boats returned, and
the master told me, that all within the reef was rocky, but that in two
or three places, at about two cables' length without it, there was
anchorage in eighteen, fourteen, and twelve fathom, upon sand and coral.
The breach in the reef he found to be about sixty fathom broad, and
here, if pressed by necessity, he said a ship might anchor or moor in
eight fathom; but that it would not be safe to moor with a greater
length than half a cable.
When I had hoisted the boats in, I ran down four miles to leeward, where
we lay till the morning; and then, finding that the current had set us
out of sight of the island, I made sail. The officers did me the honour
to call this island after my name. _Wallis's Island_ lies in latitude
13° 18' S. longitude 177° W.
As the latitudes and longitudes of all these islands are accurately laid
down, and plans of them delivered in to the Admiralty, it will be easy
for any ship, that shall hereafter navigate these seas, to find any of
them, either to refresh or to make farther discoveries of their produce.
I thought it very remarkable, that although we found no kind of metal in
any of these islands, yet, the inhabitants of all of them, the moment
they got a piece of iron in their possession, began to sharpen it, but
made no such attempt on brass or copper.
We continued to steer N. westerly, and many birds were from time to
time seen about the ship, till the 28th, when her longitude being, by
observation, 187°24'W. we crossed the Line into north latitude. Among
the birds that came about the ship, one which we caught exactly
resembled a dove in size, shape, and colour. It had red legs, and was
web-footed. We also saw several plantain leaves and cocoa-nuts pass by
the ship.
On Saturday the 29th, about two o'clock in the afternoon, being in
latitude 2°50'N. longitude 188°W. we crossed a great rippling, which
stretched from the N.E. to the S.W. as far as the eye could reach from
the mast-head. We sounded, but had no bottom with a line of two hundred
fathoms.
On Thursday the 3d of September, at five o'clock in the morning, we saw
land bearing E.N.E. distant about five miles: In about half an hour we
saw more land in the N. W. and at six, saw in the N.E. an Indian proa,
such as is described in the account of Lord Anson's voyage. Perceiving
that she stood towards us, we hoisted Spanish colours; but when she came
within about two miles of us, she tacked, and stood from us to the
N.N.W. and in a short time was out of sight.
At eight o'clock, the islands which I judged to be two of the
Piscadores, bore from S.W. by W. to W. and to windward, from N. by E. to
N.E. and had the appearance of small flat keys. They were distant about
three leagues; but many others, much farther off, were in sight. The
latitude of one of those islands is 11°N. longitude 192°30' W.; and the
other 11°20'N., longitude 192°58'W.
On the 7th, we saw a curlieu and a pewit, and on the 9th we caught a
land-bird, very much resembling a starling.
On the 17th, we saw two gannets, and judged the island of Tinian to bear
west, at about one-and-thirty leagues distance; our latitude being
15°N., and our longitude 212° 30'W. At six o'clock the next morning, we
saw the island of Saypan, bearing W. by N. distant about ten leagues. In
the afternoon, we saw Tinian, and made sail for the road; where, at nine
o'clock in the morning, of Saturday the 19th, we came to an anchor in
two-and-twenty fathom, sandy ground, at about a mile distant from the
shore, and half a mile from the reef.
SECTION X.
_Some Account of the present State of the Island of Tinian, and our
Employment there; with what happened in the Run from thence to Batavia._
As soon as the ship was secured, I sent the boats on shore to erect
tents, and bring off some refreshments; and about noon they returned,
with some cocoa-nuts, limes, and oranges.
In the evening, the tents being erected, I sent the surgeon and all the
invalids on shore, with two months provisions, of every kind, for forty
men, the smith's forge, and a chest of carpenter's tools. I then landed
myself, with the first lieutenant, both of us being in a very sickly
condition, taking with us also a mate, and twelve men, to go up the
country and hunt for cattle.
When we first came to an anchor, the north part of the bay bore N. 39°
W. Cocoa point N. 7° W. the landing-place N.E. by N. and the south end
of the island S. 28° E.; but next morning, the master having sounded all
the bay, and being of opinion that there was a better situation to the
southward, we warped the ship a little way up, and moored with a cable
each way.
At six in the evening, the hunters brought in a fine young bull, of near
four hundred weight: Part of it we kept on shore, and sent the rest on
board with bread-fruit, limes, and oranges.
Early the next morning, the carpenters were set at work to caulk the
ship all over, and put every thing in repair as far as possible. All the
sails were also got on shore, and the sail-makers employed to mend them:
The armourers at the same time were busy in repairing the iron-work, and
making new chains for the rudder. The number of the people now on shore,
sick and well, was fifty-three.
In this place we got beef, pork, poultry, papaw apples, bread-fruit,
limes, oranges, and every refreshment that is mentioned in the account
of Lord Anson's voyage. The sick began to recover from the day they
first went on shore: The air, however, was so different here from what
we found it in King George's Island, that flesh meat, which there kept
sweet two days, could here be scarcely kept sweet one. There had been
many cocoa-nut trees near the landing-place, but they had been all
wastefully cut down for the fruit, and none being grown up in their
stead, we were forced to go three miles into the country before a single
nut could be procured. The hunters also suffered incredible fatigue, for
they were frequently obliged to go ten or twelve miles through one
continued thicket, and the cattle were so wild that it was very
difficult to come near them, so that I was obliged to relieve one party
by another; and it being reported that cattle were more plenty at the
north end of the island, but that the hunters being quite exhausted with
fatigue when they got thither, were not able to kill them, much less to
bring them down, I sent Mr Gore, with fourteen men, to establish
themselves in that part of the island, and ordered that a boat should go
every morning, at day-break, to bring in what they should kill. In the
mean time the ship was laid by the stern to get at some of the copper
sheathing which had been much torn; and in repairing the copper, the
carpenter discovered and stopped a large leak under the lining of the
knee of the head, by which we had reason to hope most of the water that
the vessel had lately admitted in bad weather, came in. During our stay
here, I ordered all the people on shore by turns, and by the 15th of
October, all the sick being recovered, our wood and water completed, and
the ship made fit for the sea, we got every thing off the shore, and
embarked all our men from the watering-place, each having, at least,
five hundred limes, and there being several tubs full on the
quarter-deck, for every one to squeeze into his water as he should think
fit.
At break of day, on Friday the 16th, we weighed, and, sailed out of the
bay, sending the boats at the same time to the north end of the island,
to bring off Mr Gore and his hunters. At noon, we received them and
their tents on board, with a fine large bull, which they had just
killed.
While we lay at anchor in this place, we had many observations for the
latitude and longitude, from which we drew up the following table:
Latitude of the ship, as she lay at anchor 14° 55'N. long. 214°15'W.
Latitude of the watering-place 14 59 N.
Longitude of the body of Tinian 24 W.
Longitude of the Tinian Road 214 8 W.
Medium of Longitude, observed at Tinian 214 7
We continued a westerly course, inclining somewhat to the north, till
the 21st, when Tinian bearing S.71°40'E. distant 277 leagues, we saw
many birds; and the next day, saw three, resembling gannets, of the same
kind that we had seen when we were within about thirty leagues of
Tinian.
On the 23d, we had much thunder, lightning, and rain, with strong gales,
and a great sea. The ship laboured very much, and the rudder being loose
again, shook the stern as much as ever. The next day, we saw several
small land birds, and the gales continuing, we split the gib and
main-top-mast-stay-sail; the wind increased all the remainder of the
day, and all night, and on Sunday it blew a storm. The fore-sail and
mizen-sail were torn to pieces, and lost; and having bent others, we
wore and stood under a reefed fore-sail, and balanced mizen. We had the
mortification to find the ship admit more water than usual. We got the
top-gallant masts down upon the deck, and took the gib-boom in; soon
after which a sea struck the ship upon the bow, and washed away the
round houses, with all the rails of the head, and every thing that was
upon the fore-castle: We were, however, obliged to carry as much sail as
the ship would bear, being, by Lord Anson's account, very near the
Bashee Islands, and, by Mr Byron's, not more than thirty leagues, with a
lee-shore.
The next morning, we saw several ducks and shags, some small land birds,
and a great number of horse-flies about the ship; but had no ground with
160 fathom. The incessant and heavy rain had kept every man on board
constantly wet to the skin for more than two days and two nights; the
weather was still very dark, and the sea was continually breaking over
the ship.
On the 27th, the darkness, rain, and tempest continuing, a mountainous
sea that broke over us, staved all the half-ports to pieces on the
starboard side, broke all the iron stanchions on the gunwale, washed the
boat off the skids, and carried many things overboard. We had, however,
this day, a gleam of sunshine, sufficient to determine our latitude,
which we found to be 20°50'N., and the ship appeared to be fifty minutes
north of her reckoning.
The weather now became more moderate. At noon, on the 28th, we altered
our course, steering S. by W.; and at half an hour after one, we saw the
Bashee Islands bearing from S. by E. to S.S.E. distant about six
leagues. These islands are all high, but the northermost is higher than
the rest. By an observation made this day, we found Grafton Island to
lie in the longitude of 239° W. and in latitude of 21° 4' N. At
midnight, the weather being very dark, with sudden gusts of wind, we
missed Edmund Morgan, a marine tailor, whom we supposed to have fallen
overboard, having reason to fear that he had drunk more than his
allowance.
From this time, to the 3d of November, we found the ship every day from
ten to fifteen miles north of her reckoning. The day before we had seen
several gannets; but upon sounding many times during the day and the
next night, we had no ground with 160 fathom. This morning, at seven
o'clock, we saw a ledge of breakers bearing S.W. at the distance of
about three miles: We hauled off from them, and at eleven saw more
breakers bearing S.W. by S. distant about five miles. At noon, we hauled
off the east end of them, from which we were not distant more than a
quarter of a mile.
The first shoal lies in latitude 11° 8' N.; longitude, from Bashee
Islands, 8° W.
The second shoal lies in latitude 10° 46' N.; longitude of the N.E. end,
from Bashee Islands, 8° 13' W.
We saw much foul ground to the S. and S.S.E. but had no bottom with 150
fathom. Before one, however, we saw shoal water on the larboard bow, and
standing from it, passed another ledge at two. At three, we saw a low
sandy point, which I called _Sandy Isle_, bearing N. 1/2 E. distant
about two miles. At five, we saw a small island, which I called _Small
Key_, bearing N. by E. distant about five miles; and soon after, another
larger, which I called _Long Island_, beyond it. At six in the evening,
the largest island being distant between two and three leagues, we
brought-to, and stood off and on from mid-night till break of day,
continually sounding, but having no ground.
At seven in the morning, of Wednesday the 4th, we saw another island,
which I called _New Island_, bearing S.E. by E., and a large reef of
rocks, bearing S. 1/2 W. distant six miles. At ten, we saw breakers from
W.S.W. to W. by N. At noon, the north end of the great reef bore S.E. by
E. distant two leagues, and another reef bore W.N.W. at about the same
distance.
The latitudes and longitudes of these islands and shoals, appear by the
following table:
Lat. N. Long. W.
Sandy Isle - 10° 40' 247° 12'
Small Key - - 10 37 247 16
Long Island - - 10 20 247 24
New Island - - 10 10 247 40
First Shoal - - 10 14 247 36
Second Shoal - - 10 4 247 45
Third Shoal - - 10 5 247 50
Soon after, we saw another reef in latitude 10° 15', longitude 248°.
The next day we found the ship, which had for some time been to the
northward of her reckoning, eight miles to the southward.
We continued our course, often sounding, but finding no bottom. On the
7th, we passed through several ripplings of a current, and saw great
quantities of drift-wood, cocoa-nut leaves, things like cones of firs,
and weed, which swam in a stream N.E. and S.W. We had now soundings at
sixty-five fathom, with brown sand, small shells, and stones; and at
noon, found the ship again to the northward of her reckoning ten miles,
and had decreased our soundings to twenty-eight fathom, with the same
ground. Our latitude was 8° 36' N.; longitude 253° W. At two o'clock, we
saw the island of Condore, from the mast-head, bearing W. 1/2 N. At
four, we had ground with twenty fathom; the island bearing from W. to
N.W. by W. distant about thirteen leagues, and having the appearance of
high hummocks. The latitude of this island is 8° 40' N.; longitude, by
our reckoning, 254° 15'.
We now altered our course; and the next morning, I took from the petty
officers and seamen, all the log and journal books relative to the
voyage.
On the 10th, being in latitude 5° 20' N., longitude 255° W. we found a
current setting four fathom an hour S. by W.; and during our course to
the islands Timoun, Aros, and Pesang, which we saw about six in the
afternoon of the 13th, we were every day from ten to twenty miles
southward of our reckoning.
On the 16th, at ten in the morning, we crossed the Line again into
south latitude, in longitude 255°; and soon after we saw two islands,
one bearing S. by E. distant five leagues, and the other S. by W.
distant seven leagues.
The next morning, the weather became very dark and tempestuous, with
heavy rain; we therefore clewed all up, and lay by till we could see
about us. The two islands proved to be Pulo Toté, and Pulo Weste; and
having made sail till one o'clock, we saw the Seven Islands. We
continued our course till two the next morning, the weather being very
dark, with heavy squalls of wind, and much lightning and rain. While one
of these blasts was blowing with all its violence, and the darkness was
so thick that we could not see from one part of the ship to the other,
we suddenly discovered, by a flash of lightning, a large vessel close
aboard of us. The steersman instantly put the helm a-lee, and the ship
answering her rudder, we just cleared each, other. This was the first
ship we had seen since we parted with the Swallow; and it blew so hard,
that not being able to understand any thing that was said, we could not
learn to what nation she belonged.
At six, the weather having cleared up, we saw a sail at anchor in the
E.S.E.; and at noon, we saw land in the W.N.W. which proved, to be Pulo
Taya, Pulo Toté bearing S.35°E. Pulo Weste S.13°E. At six in the
evening, we anchored in fifteen fathom, with sandy ground; and observed
a current running E.N.E. at the rate of five fathom an hour.
At six in the morning, we weighed and made sail, and soon after saw two
vessels a-head; but at six in the evening, finding that we lost much
ground, we came again to an anchor in fifteen fathom, with a fine sandy
bottom.
At six o'clock the next morning, the current being slack, we hove short
on the small bower, which soon after parted at a third from the clench.
We immediately took in the cable, and perceived that, although we had
sounded with great care, before we anchored, and found the bottom clear,
it had been cut through by the rocks. After some time, the current
becoming strong, a fresh gale springing up, and the ship being a great
way to the leeward, I made sail, in hopes to get up and recover the
anchor; but I found at last that it was impossible, without anchoring
again; and being afraid of the consequences of doing that in foul
ground, I determined to stand on, especially as the weather was become
squally.
We were, however, able to make very little way till the next day, when,
about three in the afternoon, we saw Monopin Hill bearing S. 3/4 E. and
advancing very little, saw the coast of Sumatra at half an hour after
six the next morning. We continued to suffer great delay by currents and
calms, but on Monday the 30th of November, we anchored in Batavia Road.
SECTION XI.
_Transactions at Batavia, and an Account of the Passage from thence to
the Cape of Good Hope_.
We found here fourteen sail of Dutch East-India ships, a great number of
small vessels, and his majesty's ship the Falmouth, lying upon the mud
in a rotten condition.
I sent an officer on shore, to acquaint the governor of our arrival, to
obtain his permission to purchase refreshments, and to tell him that I
would salute him, if he would engage to return an equal number of guns.
The governor readily agreed; and at sun-rise, on Tuesday the 1st of
December, I saluted him with thirteen guns, which he returned with
fourteen from the fort. Soon after, the purser sent off some fresh beef,
and plenty of vegetables, which I ordered to be served immediately; at
the same time I called the ship's company together, and told them that I
would not suffer any liquor to come on board, and would severely punish
those who should attempt to bring any: And I took some pains to
reconcile them to this regulation, by assuring them that in this
country, intemperance would inevitably destroy them. As a further
preservative, I suffered not a man to go on shore, except those who were
upon duty; and took care that none even of these straggled into the
town.
On the 2d, I sent the boatswain and the carpenter, with the carpenter of
the Falmouth, to look at such of her stores as had been landed at
Onrust, with orders, that if any were fit for our use they should be
bought. At their return, they informed me that all the stores they had
seen were rotten, and unfit for use, except one pair of tacks, which
they brought with them: The masts, yards, and cables were all dropping
to pieces, and even the iron work was so rusty that it was worth
nothing. They also went on board the Falmouth to examine her hulk, and
found her in so shattered a condition, that in their opinion she could
not be kept together during the next monsoon. Many of her ports were
washed into one, the stern-post was quite decayed, and there was no
place in her where a man could be sheltered from the weather. The few
people who belonged to her were in as bad a state as their vessel, being
quite broken and worn down, and expecting to be drowned as soon as the
monsoon should set in.
Among other necessaries, we were in want of an anchor, having lost two,
and of three-inch rope for rounding the cables; but the officers whom I
had sent to procure these articles, reported, that the price which had
been demanded for them was so exorbitant, that they had not agreed to
give it. On Saturday the 5th, therefore, I went on shore myself, for the
first time, and visited the different storehouses and arsenals, but
found it impossible to make a better bargain than my officers. I
suspected that the dealers took advantage of our apparent necessity, and
supposing that we could not sail without what we had offered to
purchase, determined to extort from us more than four times its value. I
was, however, resolved to make any shift rather than submit to what I
thought a shameful imposition, and therefore told them that I should
certainly sail on the next Tuesday; that if they would agree to my terms
in the mean time, I would take the things I had treated for; if not,
that I would sail without them.
Soon after I returned on board, I received a petition from the
warrant-officers of the Falmouth, representing, that there was nothing
for them to look after: That the gunner had been long dead, and his
stores spoiled, particularly the powder, which, by order of the Dutch,
had been thrown into the sea: That the boatswain, by vexation and
distress, had lost his senses, and was then a deplorable object in a
Dutch hospital: That all his stores had been long spoiled and rotten,
the roof of the storehouse having fallen in during a wet monsoon, and
left them exposed many months, all endeavours to procure another place
to put them in being ineffectual: That the carpenter was in a dying
condition, and the cook a wounded cripple. For these reasons they
requested that I would take them home, or at least dismiss them from
their charge. It was with the greatest regret and compassion that I told
these unhappy people it was not in my power to relieve them, and that as
they had received charge of stores, they must wait orders from home.
They replied, that they had never received a single order from England
since they had been left here, and earnestly entreated that I would
make their distress known, that it might be relieved. They had, they
said, ten years' pay due, in the expectation of which they were grown
old, and which now they would be content to forfeit, and go home
sweepers, rather than continue to suffer the miseries of their present
situation, which were indeed very great. They were not suffered to spend
a single night on shore, whatever was their condition, and when they
were sick, no one visited them on board; they were, besides, robbed by
the Malays, and in perpetual dread of being destroyed by them, as they
had a short time before burnt the Siam prize. I assured them that I
would do my utmost to procure them relief, and they left me with tears
in their eyes.
As I heard nothing more of the anchor and rope for which I had been in
treaty, I made all ready for sea. The ship's company had continued
healthy and sober, and been served with fresh beef every day, from the
time of our first coming to an anchor in the Road; we had also some
beef, and a live ox, to carry out with us. We had now only one man upon
the sick list, except a seaman, who had been afflicted with rheumatic
pains ever since our leaving the Streight of Magellan: And at six
o'clock in the morning, of Tuesday the 8th of December, after a stay of
just one week, we set sail.
On the 11th, at noon, we were off a small island called the Cap, between
the coasts of Sumatra and Java, and several of our people fell down with
colds and fluxes. The next day, a Dutch boat came on board, and sold us
some turtle, which was served to the ship's company. At night, being at
the distance of about two miles from the Java shore, we saw an
incredible number of lights upon the beach, which we supposed were
intended to draw the fish near it, as we had seen the same appearance at
other places.
On Monday the 14th, we anchored off Prince's Island, and began to take
in wood and water. The next morning, the natives came in with turtle,
poultry, and hog-deer, which we bought at a reasonable price. We
continued here, fitting the ship for the sea, till the 19th, during
which time many of the people began to complain of intermitting
disorders, something like an ague. At six o'clock the next morning,
having completed our wood, and taken on board seventy-six tons of water,
we made sail.
While we lay here, one of the seamen fell from the mainyard into the
barge, which lay along-side the ship. His body was dreadfully bruised,
and many of his bones were broken: It happened also, that in his fall
he struck two other men, one of whom was so much hurt that he continued
speechless till the 24th, and then died, though the other had only one
of his toes broken. We had now no less than sixteen upon the sick list,
and by the 1st of January, the number was increased to forty; we had
buried three, among whom was the quarter-master, George Lewis, who was a
diligent, sober man, and the more useful, as he spoke both the Spanish
and Portuguese languages. The diseases by which we suffered, were
fluxes, and fevers of the putrid kind, which are always contagious, and,
for that reason alone, would be more fatal on board a ship than any
other. The surgeon's mate was very soon laid up, and those who were
appointed to attend the sick, were always taken ill in a day or two
after they had been upon that service. To remedy this evil, as much as
it was in my power, I made a very large birth for the sick, by removing
a great number of people from below to the half deck, which I hung with
painted canvas, keeping it constantly clean, and directing it to be
washed with vinegar, and fumigated once or twice a day. Our water was
well tasted, and was kept constantly ventilated; a large piece of iron,
also, used for the melting of tar, and called a loggerhead, was heated
red-hot, and quenched in it before it was given out to be drank. The
sick had also wine instead of grog, and salep or sago every morning for
breakfast: Two days in a week they had mutton broth, and had a fowl or
two given them on the intermediate days; they had, besides, plenty of
rice and sugar, and frequently malt meshed; so that perhaps people in a
sickly ship had never so many refreshments before: The surgeon also was
indefatigable; yet, with all these advantages, the sickness on board
gained ground. In the mean time, to aggravate our misfortune, the ship
made more than three feet water in a watch; and all her upper works were
very open and loose.
By the 10th of January, the sickness began, in some degree, to abate,
but more than half the company were so feeble, that they could scarcely
crawl about. On this day, being in latitude 22° 41' S., longitude, by
account, 300° 47' W. we saw many tropic birds about the ship.
On the 17th, being in latitude 27° 32' S., longitude 310° 36' W., we saw
several albatrosses, and caught some bonettas. The ship was this day ten
miles to the southward of her account.
On the 24th, in latitude 33° 40' S., longitude, by account, 328° 17' W.,
we met with a violent gale, which split the main-top-sail and the
main-top-mast-stay-sail all to pieces. The sea broke over the ship in a
dreadful manner, the starboard rudder chain was broken, and many of the
booms were washed overboard. During the storm we saw several birds and
butterflies; and our first attention, after it was subsided, was to dry
the bedding of the sick: At the same time, every one on board who could
handle a needle was employed in repairing the sails, which were now in a
shattered condition.
On the 26th and 27th, being in latitude 34° 16', and becalmed, we had
several observations, by which we determined the longitude of the ship
to be 323° 30'; and it appeared that we were several degrees to the
eastward of our reckoning.
At six in the evening, of the 30th of January, we saw land, and on the
4th of February, we anchored in Table Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope.
Our run from Prince's Island to the Cape was, by our reckoning, 89
degrees longitude, which makes the longitude of the Cape 345° W.; but
the longitude of the Cape being, by observation, 342° 4', it appeared
that the ship was three degrees to the eastward of her reckoning.
SECTION XII.
_An Account of our Transactions at the Cape of Good Hope, and of the
Return of the Dolphin to England_.
As soon as the ship was at anchor, I sent an officer on shore, with the
usual compliments to the governor, who received him with great civility,
telling him that we were welcome to all the refreshments and assistance
that the Cape afforded, and that he would return our salute with the
same number of guns.
We found riding here a Dutch commodore, with sixteen sail of Dutch East
Indiamen, a French East India ship, and the Admiral Watson, Captain
Griffin, an East India packet-boat, for Bengal. We saluted the governor
with thirteen guns, and he returned the same number; the Admiral Watson
saluted us with eleven guns, and we returned nine; the French ship
afterwards saluted us with nine guns, and we returned seven.
Having got off some mutton for the ship's company, with plenty of
greens, I sent the surgeon on shore to hire quarters for the sick, but
he could procure none for less than two shillings a day, and a
stipulation to pay more, if any of them should take the small-pox, which
was then in almost every house, in proportion to the malignity of the
disease. The first expence being great, and it appearing, upon enquiry,
that many of our people had never had the small-pox, so that the
increase was likely to be considerable, besides the danger, I requested
the governor's permission to erect a tent upon a spacious plain, at
about two miles distance from the town, called Green Point, and to send
my people on shore thither during the day, under the care of an officer,
to prevent their straggling. This permission the governor immediately
granted, and gave orders that they should suffer no molestation.
In this place, therefore, I ordered tents to be erected, and the surgeon
and his mate, with proper officers, to attend; at the same time strictly
charging that no man should be suffered to go into the town, and that no
liquor should be brought to the tents. All the sick, except two, left
the ship early in the morning, with their provisions and firing; and for
those that were reduced to great weakness, I ordered the surgeon to
procure such extraordinary provisions as he should think proper,
particularly milk, though it was sold at an excessive price. About six
in the evening they returned on board, and seemed to be greatly
refreshed. At the same time, being extremely ill myself, I was obliged
to be put on shore, and carried about eight miles up the country, where
I continued all the time the ship lay here; and when she was ready to
sail, returned on board without having received the least benefit.
No time, however, was lost in refitting the vessel: The sails were all
unbent, the yards and top-masts struck, the forge was set up, the
carpenters were employed in caulking, the sail-makers in mending the
sails, the cooper in repairing the casks, the people in overhauling the
rigging, and the boats in filling water.
By the 10th of February, the heavy work being nearly dispatched, twenty
of the men who had had the small-pox, were permitted to go ashore at the
town, and others, who were still liable to the distemper, were landed at
some distance, with orders to go into the country, and return in the
evening, which they punctually obeyed: This liberty, therefore, was
continued to them all the while the vessel lay at this port, which
produced so good an effect, that the ship's company, except the sick,
who recovered very fast, had a more healthy and vigorous appearance than
when they left England. We purchased here the necessaries that we
endeavoured to procure at Batavia, at a reasonable price, besides
canvass and other stores; we also procured fresh water by distillation,
principally to shew the captains of the Indiamen, and their officers,
that, upon an emergency, wholesome water might be procured at sea. At
five o'clock in the morning, we put fifty-six gallons of salt water into
the still, at seven it began to run, and in about five hours and a
quarter afforded us two-and-forty gallons of fresh water, at an expence
of nine pounds of wood, and sixty-nine pounds of coals. Thirteen gallons
and two quarts remained in the still, and that which came off had no ill
taste, nor, as we had often experienced, any hurtful quality. I thought
the shewing this experiment of the more consequence, as the being able
to allow plenty of water not only for drink, but for boiling any kind of
provision, and even for making tea and coffee, especially during long
voyages, and in hot climates, conduces greatly to health, and is the
means of saving many lives. I never once put my people to an allowance
of water during this whole voyage, always using the still when we were
reduced to five-and-forty tons, and preserving the rain water with the
utmost diligence. I did not, however, allow water to be fetched away at
pleasure, but the officer of the watch had orders to give such as
brought provisions of any kind, water sufficient to dress it, and a
proper quantity also to such as brought tea and coffee.
On the 25th, the wood and water being nearly completed, and the ship
almost ready for sea, I ordered everybody to go on board, and the sick
tents to be brought off; the people being so well recovered, that in the
whole ship's company there were but three men unable to do duty, and
happily, since our leaving Batavia, we had lost but three. The next day,
and the day following, the carpenters finished caulking all the
out-works, the fore-castle, and the main-deck; we got all our bread on
board from the shore, with a considerable quantity of straw, and
thirty-four sheep for sea-stores. In the mean time I came on board, and
having unmoored, lay waiting for a wind till the evening of Thursday the
3d of March, when a breeze springing up, we got under sail. While we
were on shore at Green Point, we had an opportunity of making many
celestial observations, by which we determined Table Bay to lie in
latitude 34° 2' S., longitude, from Greenwich, 18° 8' E. The variation
of the needle, at this place, was 19° 30' W.
On the 7th, being in latitude 29° 33' S., longitude, by account, 347°
38', the ship was eight miles to the northward of her dead reckoning.
On the 13th, having sailed westward 360 degrees from the meridian of
London, we had lost a day; I therefore called the latter part of this
day Monday, March 14th.
At six o'clock in the evening, of Wednesday the 16th, we saw the island
of St Helena, at the distance of about fourteen leagues; and at one the
next morning, brought-to. At break of day, we made sail for the island,
and at nine, anchored in the bay. The fort saluted us with thirteen
guns, and we returned the same number. We found riding here the
Northumberland Indiaman, Captain Milford, who saluted us with eleven
guns, and we returned nine. We got out all the boats as soon as
possible, and sent the empty casks to be filled with water; at the same
time several of the people were employed to gather purslain, which grows
here in great plenty. About two o'clock, I went on shore myself and was
saluted by the fort with thirteen guns, which I returned. The governor
and the principal gentlemen of the island did me the honour to meet me
at the water-side, and having conducted me to the fort, told me, that it
was expected I should make it my home during my stay.
By noon the next day, our water was completed, and the ship was made
ready for sea; soon after, she was unmoored, to take advantage of the
first breeze, and at five in the afternoon, I returned onboard. Upon my
leaving the shore, I was saluted with thirteen guns, and soon after,
upon getting under way, I was saluted with thirteen more, both which I
returned; the Northumberland Indiaman then saluted me with thirteen
guns, so did the Osterley, which arrived here the evening before I made
sail, and I returned the compliment with the same number.
On the 21st, in the evening, we saw several men of war birds; and at
midnight, heard many birds about the ship. At five o'clock in the
morning of the 23d, we saw the Island of Ascension; and at eight,
discovered a ship to the eastward, who brought-to, and hoisted a jack at
her main-topmast-head, upon which we shewed our colours, and she then
stood in for the land again. We ran down close along the north-east side
of the island, and looked into the bay, but seeing no ship there, and it
blowing a stiff gale, I made the best of my way.
On Monday the 28th, we crossed the equator, and got again into north
latitude.
On Wednesday, the 13th of April, we passed a great quantity of gulph
weed; and on the 17th, we passed a great deal more. On the 19th, we saw
two flocks of birds, and observing the water to be discoloured, we
thought the ground might be reached, but, upon sounding, could find no
bottom.
At five o'clock in the morning of Sunday the 24th, we saw the peak of
the island of Pico bearing N.N.E. at the distance of about eighteen
leagues. We found, by observation, that Fyal lies in latitude 38° 20'
N., longitude 28° 30' W. from London.
No incident worth recording happened till about noon on the 11th of May,
when, being in latitude 48° 44' N., longitude 7° 16' W. we saw a ship in
chace of a sloop, at which she fired several guns. We bore away, and at
three, fired a gun at the chace, and brought her to; the ship to
windward, being near the chace, immediately sent a boat on board her,
and soon after, Captain Hammond, of his majesty's sloop the Savage, came
on board of me, and told me, that the vessel he had chaced, when he
first saw her, was in company with an Irish wherry, and that as soon as
they discovered him to be a man of war, they took different ways; the
wherry hauled the wind, and the other vessel bore away. That he at first
hauled the wind, and stood after the wherry, but finding that he gained
no ground, he bore away after the other vessel, which probably would
also have escaped, if I had not stopped her, for that he gained very
little ground in the chace. She appeared to be laden with tea, brandy,
and other goods, from Roscoe in France; and though she was steering a
south-west course, pretended to be bound to Bergen in Norway. She
belonged to Liverpool, was called the Jenny, and commanded by one Robert
Christian. Her brandy and tea were in small kegs and bags; and all
appearances being strongly against her, I detained her, in order to be
sent to England.
At half an hour after five, on the 13th, we saw the islands of Scilly;
on the 19th, I landed at Hastings in Sussex; and at four the next
morning, the ship anchored safely in the Downs, it being just 637 days
since her weighing anchor in Plymouth Sound. To this narrative, I have
only to add, that the object of the voyage being discovery, it was my
constant practice, during the whole time of my navigating those parts of
the sea which are not perfectly known, to lie-to every night, and make
sail only in the day, that nothing might escape me.
* * * * *
_A Table of the Latitudes and the Longitudes West of London, with the
Variation of the Needle, at several Ports, and Situations at Sea, from
Observations made on board his Majesty's Ship the Dolphin; and her
Nautical Reckoning during the Voyage which she made round the World in
the Years 1766, 1767, 1768, under the Command of Captain Samuel Wallis_.
Long.
Time Latitude Longitude observed by Vari
Names of Places. when. in. supposed. Dr Maskeline's -ation.
Method.
1766.
Lizard Aug. 22. 50 0 N. 5° 14' W. ------- 21° O' W.
Funchall R. Madeira Sept. 8. 32 35 N. 18 0 W. 16 40' W. 14 10 W.
Port Praja St Jaga Sept. 24. 14 53 N. 23 50 W. ---------- 8 20 W.
Port Desire Dec. 8. 47 56 S. 67 20 W. 66 24 W. 23 15 E.
Cape Virgin Mary Dec. 17. 52 24 S. 70 4 W. 69 6 W. 23 0 E.
1766.
Point Possessum Dec. 23. 54 30 S. 70 11 W. 69 50 W. 22 40 E.
Point Porpass Dec. 26. 53 8 S. 71 0 W. 71 30 W. 22 50 E.
Port Famine Dec. 27. 53 43 S. 71 0 W. 71 32 W. 22 30 E.
1767.
Cape Froward Jan. 19. 54 3 S. -------- -------- 22 40 E.
Cape Holland Jan. 20. 53 58 S. -------- -------- 22 40 E.
Cape Gallant Jan. 23. 53 50 S. -------- -------- 22 40 E.
York Road Feb. 4. 53 40 S. -------- -------- 22 30 E.
Cape Quod Feb. 17. 53 33 S. -------- -------- 32 35 E.
Cape Notch Mar. 4. 43 22 S. -------- -------- 23 0 E.
Cape Upright Mar. 18. 53 5 S. -------- -------- 22 40 E.
Cape Pillar April 11. 52 46 S. 76 0 W. -------- 13 0 E.
At Sea April 21. 12 30 S. 96 30 W. 95 46 W. 12 0 E.
At Sea May 4. 28 12 S. 99 0 W. 96 30 W. 6 0 E.
At Sea May 20. 21 0 S. 99 0 W. 106 47 W. 5 0 E.
At Sea May 23. 20 20 S. 116 54 W. 112 64 W. 5 0 E.
At Sea June 1. 10 38 S. 132 0 W. 127 45 W. 5 9 E.
At Sea June 3. 19 30 S. 132 30 W. 129 50 W. 5 40 E.
Whitsunday Island June 7. 19 26 S. 141 0 W. 137 56 W. 6 0 E.
Q. Charlottes's Isl. June 8. 19 18 S. 141 4 W. 138 4 W. 5 20 E.
Egmont Island June 11. 19 20 S. 141 27 W. 138 30 W. 6 0 E.
D. of Glouces. Isl. June 12. 19 11 S. 143 8 W. 140 6 W. 7 10 E.
D. of Cumtberl. Isl. June 13. 19 18 S. 143 44 W. 140 34 W. 7 0 E.
Pr. Wm. Henry's Isl. June 15. 19 0 S. 144 4 W. 141 6 W. 7 0 E.
Osnaburgh Island June 17. 17 51 S. 150 27 W. 147 30 W. 6 0 E.
K. Geo. } S.E. end June 19. 17 48 S. 151 30 W. 148 15 W. 6 0 E.
III's Isl.} N.W. end July 4. 17 30 S. 152 0 W. 150 0 W. 5 50 E.
D. of York's Island July 27. 17 28 S. 152 12 W. 150 16 W. 6 0 E.
Sir C. Saunders's IslJuly 28. 17 28 S. 153 2 W. 151 4 W. 6 30 E.
Lord Howe's Island July 30. 16 46 S. 156 38 W. 154 15 W. 7 40 E.
Solly Island July 31. 16 28 S. 157 22 W. 155 30 W. 8 0 E.
Boscawen's Island Aug. 13. 15 50 S. 177 20 W. 175 10 W. 9 0 E.
Aug. Keppel's Island Aug. 13. 15 53 S. 177 23 W. 175 13 W. 10 0 E.
Wallis's Island Aug. 17. 13 18 S. 180 0 W. 177 0 W. 10 0 E.
Piscadores } S. end Sept. 3. 1 0 N. 195 0 W. 192 30 W. 10 0 E.
Islands } N. end 11 20 N. 195 25 W. 193 0 W. 10 0 E.
Pinias Sept. 30. 14 58 N. 215 40 W. 214 10 W. 6 20 E.
At Sea Oct. 17. 16 10 N. 218 0 W. 216 25 W. 5 15 E.
Grafton's Island Oct. 29. 21 4 N. 241 0 W. 239 0 W. 1 3 W.
Pulo Aroe Nov. 15. 2 28 N. 258 0 W. 255 0 W. 1 0 W.
Lucipara Nov. 25. 4 10 S. 254 46 W. None.
Batavia Dec. 1. 6 8 S. 254 30 W. 2 25 W.
Prince's Island Dec. 16. 6 41 S. 256 0 W. 256 30 W. 3 0 W.
1768
At Sea Jan. 26. 34 24 S. 328 0 W. 323 30 W. 24 0 W.
At Sea Jan. 27. 34 14 S. 324 0 W. 323 13 W. 24 0 W.
Cape of Good Hope Feb. 11. 34 0 S 345 0 W. 342 0 W. 19 30W.
At Sea Mar. 15. 16 44 S. 3 0 W. 2 0 W. 13 0W.
At Sea Mar. 15. 16 36 S. 2 0 W. 2 5 W. 12 50W.
St Helena Mar. 19. 15 57 S. 5 49W. 5 40W. 12 47W.
Ascension Mar. 23. 7 28 S. 14 18W. 14 4W. 9 53W.
At Sea Mar. 24. 7 58 S. 14 30W. 14 38W. 10 0W.
At Sea April 8. 15 4 N. 30 0W. 34 30W. 4 48W.
At Sea April 11. 21 28 N. 36 0W. 36 37W. 4 30W.
At Sea April 21. 33 55 N. 32 0W. 33 0W. 11 34W.
At Sea April 23. 36 15 N. 30 0W. 29 31W. 14 30W.
At Sea May 10. 49 43 N. 6 0W. 7 52W. 22 30W.
At Sea May 11. 48 48 N. 7 30W. 8 19W. ----
St Agnus's Light-h. May 13. 19 58 N. 7 14W. 7 8W. 20 0W.
CHAPTER III.
AN ACCOUNT OF A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, IN THE YEARS 1766, 1767, 1768,
AND 1769, BY PHILIP CARTERET, ESQ. COMMANDER OF HIS MAJESTY'S SLOOP THE
SWALLOW.
SECTION I.
_The Run from Plymouth to Madeira, and from thence through the Streight
of Magellan._
[The longitude of this voyage is reckoned from London westward to 180,
and eastward afterwards.]
Soon after I returned from a voyage round the world with the Honourable
Commodore Byron, I was appointed to the command of his majesty's sloop
the Swallow, by a commission bearing date the first of July, 1766; the
Swallow then lay at Chatham, and I was ordered to fit her out with all
possible expedition. She was an old ship, having been in the service
thirty years, and was, in my opinion, by no means fit for a long voyage,
having only a slight thin, sheathing upon her bottom, which was not even
filled with nails to supply the want of a covering that would more
effectually keep out the worm. I had been given to understand that I was
to go out with the Dolphin; but the disparity of the two ships, and the
difference in their equipment, made me think that they could not be
intended for the same duty; the Dolphin, which was sheathed with copper,
being supplied with every thing that was requisite for a long and
dangerous navigation; and the Swallow having only a scanty supply of
common necessaries. However, I ventured to apply for a forge, some iron,
a small skiff, and several other things which I knew by experience would
be of the utmost importance, if it was intended that I should make
another voyage round the world; but I was told that the vessel, and her
equipment were very fit for the service she was to perform, and none of
the requisites for which I applied were allowed me. I was therefore
confirmed in my opinion, that, if the Dolphin was to go round the world,
it could never be intended that I should go farther than Falkland's
islands, where the Jason, a fine frigate, which was, like the Dolphin,
sheathed with copper, and amply equipped, would supply my place. I was,
however, deficient in junk, an article which is essentially necessary in
every voyage, and for this I applied when I got to Plymouth, but I was
told that a quantity sufficient for both the ships had been put on board
the Dolphin.
On Friday the 22d of August, 1766, the ship's company having the evening
before received two months pay, I weighed, and made sail from Plymouth
Sound in company with the Dolphin, under the command of Captain Wallis,
and the Prince Frederick store-ship, commanded by Lieutenant James
Brine. We proceeded together without any remarkable incident till the
7th of September, when we came to an anchor in Madeira road.
While I lay at this place, not being yet acquainted with my destination,
I represented my want of junk, and the reply that had been made to my
application for a supply by the commissioner at Plymouth, in a letter to
Captain Wallis, who sent me five hundred weight. This quantity however
was so inadequate to my wants, that I was soon afterwards reduced to the
disagreeable necessity of cutting off some of my cables to save my
rigging.
On the 9th, very early in the morning, the lieutenant acquainted me
that, in the night, nine of my best men had secretly set off from the
ship to swim on shore, having stripped themselves naked and left all
their clothes behind them, taking only their money, which they had
secured in a handkerchief that was tied round their waist; that they
proceeded together till they came very near the surf, which breaks high
upon the shore, and that one of them, being then terrified at the sound,
had swum back again to the ship, and been taken on board, but that the
rest had ventured through. As the loss of these men would have been very
severely felt, I immediately sat down to write a letter to the consul,
entreating his assistance to recover them; but, before I had finished
it, he sent me word, that all of them having, to the great astonishment
of the natives, been found naked on the beach, they had been taken into
custody, and would be delivered up to my order. The boat was dispatched
immediately, and as soon as I heard they were on board, I went upon the
deck. I was greatly pleased to see a contrition in their countenances,
which at once secretly determined me not to inflict the punishment by
which they seemed most heartily willing to expiate their fault; but I
asked them what could have induced them to quit the ship, and desert the
service of their country, at the risk of being devoured by sharks, or
dashed to pieces by the surf against the shore. They answered, that
though they had indeed, at such risks, ventured to swim on shore, they
never had any intention of deserting the ship, which they were
determined to stand by as long as she could swim; but that being well
assured they were going a long voyage, and none being able to tell who
might live, or who might die, they thought it hard not to have an
opportunity of spending their own money, and therefore determined, as
they said; once more to get a skinful of liquor, and then swim back to
the ship, which they hoped to have done before they were missed. As I
had resolved to remit their punishment, I did not too severely
scrutinize their apology, which the rest of the ship's company, who
stood round them, seemed very much to approve; but, observing that with
a skinful of liquor they would have been in a very unfit condition to
swim through the surf to the ship, I told them that, hoping they would
for the future expose their lives only upon more important occasions,
and that their conduct would thenceforward give me no cause of
complaint, I would for this time be satisfied with the shame and regret
which I perceived they suffered from a sense of their misbehaviour: I
then admonished them to put on their clothes, and lie down, as I was
confident they wanted rest; and added, that as I might possibly during
the course of the voyage have occasion for good swimmers, I was very
glad that I knew to whom I might apply. Having thus dismissed these
honest fellows from their fears, I was infinitely gratified by the
murmur of satisfaction which instantly ran through the ship's company;
and was afterwards amply rewarded for my lenity, there being no service
during all the toils and dangers of the voyage which they did not
perform with a zeal and alacrity that were much to their honour and my
advantage, as an example to the rest.
We sailed again on the 12th, and I was then first acquainted with the
particulars of our voyage by Captain Wallis, who gave me a copy of his
instructions, and appointed Port Famine, in the Streight of Magellan, to
be the place of rendezvous, if we should happen to be separated.
I was now convinced that I had been sent upon a service to which my
vessel and her equipment were by no means equal, but I determined at all
events to perform it in the best manner I was able.
We proceeded on our voyage without any remarkable event till we
anchored off Cape Virgin Mary, where we saw the Patagonians, of which I
have given some account in a letter to Dr Matty, which was published in
the sixtieth volume of the Transactions of the Royal Society, and which
it is not necessary here to repeat, as it is in general the same as
those which have been given by Commodore Byron and Captain Wallis.
When we entered the Streight, I was ordered to keep ahead of the Dolphin
and the store-ship, to pilot them through the shoals; but my ship worked
so ill, that we could but very seldom make her tack without the help of
a boat to tow her round: However, with much labour, and at no
inconsiderable risk, we anchored in Port Famine, on Friday the 26th of
December. At this place we unhung our rudder, and added a piece of wood
to it, in hopes that by making it broader, we should obtain some
advantage in working the ship; in which, however, we were altogether
disappointed.
After many difficulties and dangers, we got into Island Bay on the 17th
of February; and before we made sail again, I represented the condition
of my ship by letter to Captain Wallis, and requested him to consider
what was best for his majesty's service, whether she should be
dismissed, or continue the voyage. Captain Wallis replied, that as the
lords of the Admiralty had ordered the Swallow on this service, with the
nature of which I was well acquainted, he did not think himself at
liberty to alter her destination.[54]
[Footnote 54: This seems quite irrational. Would Captain W. have thought
himself bound "to his destination," in circumstances, which, to the
judgment of his own mind, and in the unanimous opinion of his officers,
rendered success beyond the accomplishment of human agents? Surely
not--Then why judge by any other rule than that of practicability, when
another person, one under his command, was concerned? Some discretionary
power is obviously implied in every system of orders intended for
rational and accountable beings. The use made of it is one of the data,
on which the determination of the degrees of merit or demerit as to
conduct, must be founded. On no other principle than one involving some
liberty, nay some duty of judging, can the intelligence of mankind be
availing in the execution of projects. Divine authority alone,
unequivocally made known, can dispense with acquiescence to the demands
of reason, or render inefficient the most glaringly insuperable
difficulties. How even the _Lords_ of the Admiralty, or their delegate,
Capt W. should assume such dispensing prerogatives, it is impossible to
comprehend. They relied, it is probable, on the honour, as it is called,
of their subject. This alters the case entirely no doubt. A mighty
convenient thing this _honour_ in all well-established monarchies! One
cannot help desiring, nevertheless, that _men of honour_ should have the
management of it. Were they men of _humane feeling_ too, it would be so
much the better. Is it possible to predicate these things of the persons
who gave poor Carteret his orders? Is it possible to believe he was
expected to circumnavigate the world in the Swallow? An opinion has
already been hazarded on this nice point.--E.]
We continued therefore for some time to navigate the Streight together,
and as I had passed it before, I was ordered to keep a-head and lead the
way, with liberty to anchor and weigh when I thought proper; but,
perceiving that the bad sailing of the Swallow would so much retard the
Dolphin as probably to make her lose the season for getting into high
southern latitudes, and defeat the intention of the voyage, I proposed
to Captain Wallis that he should lay the Swallow up in some cove or bay,
and that I should attend and assist him with her boats till the Streight
should be passed, which would probably be in much less time than if he
continued to be retarded by my ship; and I urged, as an additional
advantage, that he might complete, not only his stock of provisions and
stores, but his company, out of her, and then send her back to England,
with such of his crew as sickness had rendered unfit for the voyage:
Proposing also, that in my way home I would examine the eastern coast of
Patagonia, or attempt such other discoveries as he should think proper.
If this was not approved, and my knowledge of the South Seas was thought
necessary to the success of the voyage, I offered to go with him on
board the Dolphin, and give up the Swallow to be commanded by his first
lieutenant, whose duty I would perform during the rest of the voyage, or
to make the voyage myself with only the Dolphin, if he would take the
Swallow back to Europe; but Captain Wallis was still of opinion, that
the voyage should be prosecuted by the two ships jointly, pursuant to
the orders that had been given.
The Swallow was now become so foul, that with all the sail she could
set, she could not make so much way as the Dolphin, with only her
top-sails and a reef in them: We continued in company, however, till
Friday the 10th of April, when the western entrance of the Straight was
open, and the Great South Sea in sight. Hitherto I had, pursuant to my
directions, kept a-head, but now the Dolphin being nearly a-breast of
us, set her foresail, which soon carried her a-head of us; and before
nine o'clock in the evening, as she shewed no lights, we lost sight of
her. We had a fine eastern breeze, of which we made the best use we
could during the night, carrying all our small sails even to the
top-gallant studding sails, notwithstanding the danger to which it
exposed us; but at day-break the next morning, we could but just see the
Dolphin's top-sails above the horizon: we could perceive, however, that
she had studding-sails set, and at nine o'clock we had entirely lost
sight of her; we judged that she was then clear of the Straight's mouth,
but we, who were still under the land, had but light and variable airs.
From this time, I gave up all hope of seeing the Dolphin again till we
should arrive in England, no plan of operation having been settled, nor
any place of rendezvous appointed, as had been done from England to the
Streight. I thought myself the more unfortunate in this separation, as
no part of the woollen cloth, linen, beads, scissars, knives, and other
cutlery-ware, and toys, which were intended for the use of both ships,
and were so necessary to obtain refreshments from Indians, had, during
the nine months we had sailed together, been put on board the Swallow,
and as we were not provided either with a forge or iron, which many
circumstances might render absolutely necessary to the preservation of
the ship: I had the satisfaction, however, to see no marks of
despondency among my people, whom I encouraged, by telling them, that
although the Dolphin was the best ship, I did not doubt but that I
should find more than equivalent advantages in their courage, ability,
and good conduct.
At noon, this day, we were abreast of Cape Pillar, when, a gale
springing up at S.W., we were obliged to take down our small sails, reef
our top-sails, and haul close to the wind: Soon after it freshened to
the W.S.W. blowing right in from the sea, and after making two boards,
we had the mortification to find that we could not weather the land on
either tack. It was now almost dark, the gale increased, driving before
it a hollow swell, and a fog came on, with violent rain; we therefore
got close under the south shore, and sent our boat a-head to find out
Tuesday's Bay, which is said by Sir John Narborough to lie about four
leagues within the Streight; or to find out any other place in which we
might come to an anchor. At five o'clock, we could not see the land,
notwithstanding its extreme height, though we were within less than half
a mile of it, and at six, the thickness of the weather having rendered
the night so dark that we could not see half the ship's length, I
brought-to for the boat, and was indeed, with good reason, under great
concern for her safety: We hoisted lights, and every now and then made a
false fire, but still doubting whether they could be seen through the
fog and rain, I fired a gun every half hour, and at last had the
satisfaction to take her on board, though she had made no discovery,
either of Tuesday's Bay, or any other anchoring-place. We made sail the
rest of the night, endeavouring to keep near the south shore, and our
ground to the westward as much as possible; and as soon as it was light
the next morning, I sent the master again, out in the cutter, in search
of an anchorage on the south shore. I waited in a state of the most
painful suspense for her return, till five o'clock in the afternoon,
fearing that we should be obliged to keep out in this dangerous pass
another night, but I then saw her sounding a bay, and immediately stood
in after her: In a short time the master came on board, and to our
unspeakable comfort, reported that we might here come safely to an
anchor; this, with the help of our boat, was effected about six o'clock,
and I went down into my cabin to take some rest: I had, however,
scarcely lain down, before I was alarmed with a universal shout and
tumult among the people, all that were below running hastily upon the
deck, and joining the clamour of those above: I instantly started up,
imagining that a gust had forced the ship from her anchor, and that she
was driving out of the bay, but when I came upon the deck, I heard the
people cry out, The Dolphin! the Dolphin! in a transport of surprise and
joy which appeared to be little short of distraction: A few minutes,
however, convinced us, that what had been taken for a sail was nothing
more than the water which had been forced up, and whirled about in the
air, by one of the violent gusts that were continually coming off the
high land, and which, through the haze, had a most deceitful appearance.
The people were for a few minutes somewhat dejected by their
disappointment, but before I went down, I had the pleasure to see their
usual fortitude and cheerfulness return.
The little bay where we were now at anchor, lies about three leagues E.
by S. from Cape Pillar: It is the first place which has any appearance
of a bay within that Cape, and bears S. by E., about four leagues from
the island which Sir John Narborough called Westminster Hall, from its
resemblance to that building in a distant view. The western point of
this bay makes a very remarkable appearance, being a perpendicular plane
like the wall of a house. There are three islands about two cables'
length within its entrance, and within those islands a very good
harbour, with anchorage in between twenty-five and thirty fathom, with
a bottom of soft mud. We anchored without the islands, the passage on
each side of them being not more than one-fourth of a cable's length
wide. Our little bay is about two cables' length broad, the points
bearing east and west of each other: In the inner part there is from
sixteen to eighteen fathom, but where we lay it is deeper; we had one
anchor in seventeen fathom, and the other in forty-five, with great
over-falls between them, and rocks in several places. Here we rode out a
very hard gale, and the ground being extremely uneven, we expected our
cables to be cut in two every minute, yet when we weighed, to our great
surprise, they did not appear to have been rubbed in any part, though we
found it very difficult to heave them clear of the rocks. The land round
this bay and harbour is all high, and as the current sets continually
into it, I doubt not but it has another communication with the sea to
the south of Cape Deseada. The master said he went up it four miles in a
boat, and could not then be above four miles from the Western Ocean, yet
he still saw a wide entrance to the S.W. The landing is every where
good, there is plenty of wood and water, and mussels and wild geese in
abundance.
From the north shore of the western end of the Streight of Magellan,
which lies in about latitude 52°1/2 S. to latitude 48°, the land which is
the western coast of Patagonia runs nearly north and south, and consists
wholly of broken islands, among which are those that Sharp has laid by
the name of the Duke of York's Islands; he has indeed placed them at a
considerable distance from the coast, but if there had been many islands
in that situation, it is impossible but that the Dolphin, the Tamar, or
the Swallow, must have seen them, as we ran near their supposed
meridian, and so did the Dolphin and the Tamar the last voyage. Till we
came into this latitude, we had tolerable weather, and little or no
current in any direction, but when we came to the northward of 48°, we
found a current setting strongly to the north, so that probably we then
opened the great bay, which is said to be ninety leagues deep. We found
here a vast swell from the N.W. and the winds generally blew from the
same quarter; yet we were set every day twelve or fifteen miles to the
northward of our account.
On Wednesday the 15th, at about four o'clock in the morning, after
surmounting many dangers and difficulties, we once more got abreast of
Cape Pillar, with a light breeze at S.E. and a great swell. Between five
and six o'clock, just as we opened Cape Deseada, the wind suddenly
shifted to S. and S. by W. and blew so hard that it was with great
difficulty we could carry the reefed top-sails: The sudden changing of
the wind, and its excessive violence, produced a sea so dreadfully
hollow, that great quantities of water were thrown in upon our deck, so
that we were in the utmost danger of foundering; yet we did not dare to
shorten sail, it being necessary to carry all we could spread, in order
to weather the rocky islands, which Sir John Narborough has called the
Islands of Direction, for we could not now run back again into the
Streight, without falling down among the broken land, and incurring the
dangers of the northern shore, which was to leeward; towards this broken
land, however, and lee-shore, the ship settled very fast,
notwithstanding our utmost efforts: In this pressing emergency we were
obliged to stave all the water-casks upon the deck, and between decks,
to clear the vessel, and to make her carry better sail, and at length,
happily escaped the danger which threatened us. After we got clear of
those islands, and drew off from the Streight's mouth and the land, we
found the sea run more regularly from the S.W. and the wind soon after
coming from S.S.W. to S.S.E. we had by noon got a pretty good offing,
about nine leagues from Cape Victory, which is on the north shore. Thus
we cleared the western entrance of the Streight, which, in my opinion,
is too dangerous for navigation; a deliverance which happened in the
very crisis of our fate, for almost immediately afterwards, the wind
came again to the S.W., and if it had continued in that quarter, our
destruction would have been inevitable.
SECTION II.
_The Passage from Cape Pillar, at the Western Entrance of the Streight
of Magellan, to Masafuero; with some Account of that Island._
I took my departure from Cape Pillar, which I make to lie in the
latitude of 52°45'S., and in the longitude 75° 10'W. of the meridian of
London, and as soon as I got clear of the streight, steered to the
northward along the coast of Chili. Upon examining what quantity of
fresh water we had now on board, I found that it amounted only to
between four and five and twenty tons, which I thought not sufficient
for so long a voyage as was probably before us; I therefore hauled to
the northward, intending to make the island of Juan Fernandes, or
Masafuero, that we might increase our stock before we sailed to the
westward.
In the middle of the night of the 16th, we had the wind first to the
S.S.E. and then to the S.E. with which we kept away N.W. and N.N.W. in
high spirits, hoping that in a short time we should be in a more
temperate climate: We had the misfortune, however, very soon to find
ourselves disappointed, for on the 18th, the wind came to the N.N.W. and
blew directly from the point upon which we were steering. We had now got
about a hundred leagues from the streight's mouth; our latitude was
48°39'S., and we were, by account, 4°33'W. of Cape Pillar; but from this
time, till the 8th of May, the wind continued unfavourable, and blew a
continued storm, with sudden gusts still more violent, and much rain and
hail, or rather fragments of half-melted ice: At intervals also we had
thunder and lightning, more dreadful than all the past, and a sea which
frequently laid the whole vessel under water.
From the time of our clearing the streight, and during our passage along
this coast, we saw a great number of sea-birds, particularly
albatrosses, gannets, sheerwaters, and a thick lumpish bird, about as
big as a large pigeon, which the sailors call a Cape-of-Good-Hope hen:
They are of a dark-brown or blackish colour, and are therefore sometimes
called the black gull: We saw also a great many pintado birds, of nearly
the same size, which are prettily spotted with black and white, and
constantly on the wing, though they frequently appear as if they were
walking upon the water, like the peterels, to which sailors have given
the name of Mother Carey's chickens; and we saw also many of these.
In the evening of Monday the 27th, which was very dark, as we were
standing to the westward under our courses, and a close-reefed
top-sail, the wind, in a hard squall, suddenly shifted, and took the
vessel right a-head; the violent jerk with which the sails were
instantly thrown a-back, was very near carrying the masts away by the
board, and oversetting the ship; the sails being at this time extremely
wet, and the gale in the highest degree violent, they clung so fast to
the masts and rigging, that it was scarcely possible to get them either
up or down; yet by the dexterous activity of our people, we got the
mainsail up, clewed up the main top-sail, and got the ship's head round
without receiving much damage. The violence of the wind continued
several hours, but before morning it veered again to the N.W. and
continued in that quarter till the afternoon of the 29th, when it died
away, and we had a dead calm for six hours. During this time we had a
high sea, which ran in great confusion from all quarters and broke
against the ship in a strange manner, making her roll with so violent
and sudden a motion, that I expected every moment to lose our masts. The
wind afterwards sprung up at W.S.W. which was fair, and we carried all
the sail we could set to make the most of it. It blew very hard in this
direction, with heavy rain for a few hours, but by noon on the 30th, it
returned to its usual quarter the N.W., and was so violent as to bring
us again under our courses, there being at the same time a prodigious
swell, which frequently broke over us. At five o'clock the next morning,
as we were lying-to under the reefed main-sail and balanced mizen, a
vast sea broke over the quarter where the ship's oars were lashed, and
carried away six of them, with the weather-cloth; it also broke the
mizen-gaff close where the sail was reeled, and the iron-strap of one of
the main dead eyes, laying the whole vessel for some time under water:
We were however fortunate enough to haul up the main-sail without
splitting, though it blew a hurricane, and a deluge of rain, or rather
of half-melted ice, at the same time poured down upon us. The wind soon
after shifted again from N.W. to S.W. and for about an hour blew, if
possible, stronger than ever. This wind made the ship come up with her
head right against the vast sea which the north-west wind had raised,
and at every pitch which she made against it, the end of the bowsprit
was under water, and the surge broke over the forecastle as far aft as
the main-mast, in the same manner as it would have broke over a rock, so
that there was the greatest reason to apprehend she would founder. With
all her defects she was indeed a good sea-boat, and if she had not, it
would have been impossible for her to have outlived this storm, in
which, as well as on several other occasions; we experienced the benefit
of the bulk-heads which we had fixed on the fore-part of the half-deck,
and to the after-part of the fore-castle.
Notwithstanding this wind was fair, we durst not venture to put the ship
before it, for if in wearing, any of these enormous seas had broken on
her side, it would inevitably have carried away all before it. After
some time, however, it became more moderate, and we then got up our
yards and made sail, steering N. by W.; and now the men having been up
all night, and being wet to the skin, I ordered every one of them a
dram.
By the next morning, the 2d of May, the wind came again to the N.W. and
N.N.W. but by this time we had got down the broken mizen-gaff, repaired
it as well as we could, got it up again in its place, and bent the sail
to it; but we now most sensibly felt the want of a forge and iron.
On the 3d, at day-break, we found the rudder-chain broken, and upon this
occasion we again most feelingly regretted the want of a forge; we made,
however, the best shift we could, and the next day, the weather being
more moderate, though the wind was still contrary, we repaired our
rigging, and the carpenters fixed a new dead eye where the old one had
been broken; the sail-maker also was busy in mending the sails that had
been split.
On the 5th, we were again brought under our courses by a hurricane from
the N. by W. and N.N.W. and the ship was tossed about with such violence
that we had no command of her. During this storm, two of our
chain-plates were broken, and we continued toiling in a confused hollow
sea till midnight, when a light gale sprung up at N.W. which soon blew
very hard; but at two in the morning, we were again taken right a-head
by a sudden and violent squall at west, which at once threw all our
sails aback, and before we could get the ship round, was very near
carrying all by the board. With this gale we stood north, and in the
forenoon the carpenters fixed new chain-plates to the main shrouds, and
one to the fore shrouds, in the place of those which had been broken in
the squall during the night. This was another occasion on which it was
impossible not to regret the want of a forge and iron.
The gale continued in this direction till eight in the morning of the
7th, when it returned to the N.W. with unsettled weather. On the 8th, it
came to south, and this was a fine day, the first we had seen after our
leaving the Streight of Magellan. Our latitude at noon was 36°39'S. and
we were about five degrees to the westward of Cape Pillar. The next day
we made the island of Masafuero, and on the 10th, the island of Juan
Fernandes: In the afternoon we got close to the eastermost part of it,
and soon after hauled round the north end, and opened Cumberland Bay. As
I did not know that the Spaniards had fortified this island, I was
greatly surprised to see a considerable number of men about the beach,
with a house and four pieces of cannon near the water-side, and a fort
about three hundred yards farther from the sea, just upon the rising of
the hill, with Spanish colours flying on the top of it. This fort, which
is faced with stone, has eighteen or twenty embrasures, and within it a
long house, which I supposed to be barracks for the garrison:
Five-and-twenty or thirty houses of different kinds are scattered round
it, and we saw much cattle feeding on the brow of the hills, which
seemed to be cultivated, as many spots were divided by enclosures from
each other; we saw also two large boats lying, on the beach. The gusts
of wind which came right out of this bay, prevented my going so near as
I intended, for they were so violent as to oblige us many times to let
fly our top-sail sheets, though the sails were close reefed; and I think
it is impossible to work a ship into this bay when the wind blows hard
from the southward. As we stood cross the bay to the westward, one of
the boats put off from the shore, and rowed towards us; but perceiving
that the gusts or flaws made us lie at a considerable distance from the
land, she went in again. We then opened West Bay, on the east part of
which, close to the sea side, is a small house, which I took for a
guard-house, and two pieces of cannon mounted upon their carriages,
without any works about them. We now wore, and stood again for
Cumberland Bay, but as soon as we opened it, the boat again put off, and
made towards us: As the hard gusts would not permit us to come any
nearer to the land than before, we stood along it to the eastward, the
boat still making after us till she was very far out of the bay: At
length it grew dark, and we lost sight of her, upon which we made all
the sail we could to the eastward.
During all this time I hoisted no colours, having none but English on
board, which at this time I did not think it proper to shew.
As I was disappointed of wood and water at this place, and of the
refreshments, of which, after the dangers and fatigue of our voyage
through the Streight, and our passage from it, we stood in the most
pressing need, I made all the sail I could for the island of Masafuero.
On the 12th of May we arrived off the south eastermost part of it, but
it blowing hard, with a great sea, we did not dare to come near it on
this side, and therefore went round to the west side, where, in the
evening, we cast anchor upon an excellent bank, fit to receive a fleet
of ships, which, in the summer, might ride here with great advantage. I
sent out both the boats to endeavour to get some water, but they found
it impossible to land, for the beach is rocky, and the surf at this time
was so great, that the swimmers could not get through the breakers: This
was the more mortifying, as we saw a fine run of fresh water from the
ship, with plenty of trees fit for fire-wood, and a great number of
goats upon the hills.
The next morning, as soon as it was light, I sent the boats out again,
to examine any place where they could get on shore. They returned with a
few casks of water, which they had filled at a small rill, and reported,
that the wind being at S.E. blew so strong on the east side of the
island, and raised so great a sea, that they could not come near the
shore.
We continued here till the 15th, at day-break, and then, the weather
becoming more moderate, we weighed, and in the evening, just at sun-set,
we anchored on the east side of the island, in the same place where
Commodore Byron had anchored about two years before. We lost no time,
but immediately got off fifteen casks of water, and sent a number of men
on shore with others, that were empty, to be filled against the next
morning, and a strong party to cut wood: But it happened that about two
o'clock in the morning a hard gale of wind came on from the N.W. with
violent gusts from the shore, which drove us off the bank, though we had
two anchors a-head, which were in the utmost danger of being lost; we
got them up, however, with great difficulty, and immediately set the
sails, and worked under the lee of the island, keeping as near the
shore as we could; the weather soon afterwards became more moderate, so
that we could carry double-reefed sails; we had also very smooth water,
yet we could not make the ship tack, and were forced to wear her every
time we wanted to go about.
At day-break, though we were at a good distance from the shore, I sent
the cutter to get off a load of water, before the surf should be so
great upon the beach as to prevent her landing. About ten o'clock, the
wind came to the N.N.E. which enabled us to get within a little distance
of the watering-place, and we might have recovered our anchoring ground
upon the bank from which we had been driven, but the weather had so bad
an appearance, and the gale freshened so fast, that we did not think it
prudent to venture: We brought-to, however, as near the shore as
possible, for the advantage of smooth water to unload the cutter, which
soon after came alongside with twelve casks of water. As soon as we had
taken these on board, I sent the cutter again for another freight, and
as we were at a very little distance from land, I ventured to send our
long-boat, a clumsy, heavy, four-oared vessel, with provisions for the
people on shore, and orders to bring back a load of water, if she could
get it: As soon as these boats were dispatched, we made a tack off to
keep our ground. At noon it blew hard with heavy rain and thick weather;
and at one, as we were standing in again, we saw the boats running along
the shore, for the lee-part of the island, this side being open to the
wind; we therefore followed them, and brought-to as near the shore as
possible, to favour their coming on board: They presently made towards
us, and we hoisted them in, but the sea was now risen so high, that in
doing it they received considerable damage, and we soon learnt that they
found the surf so great as not to be able even to land their empty
water-casks. We continued to lie-to, under a balanced mizen, off the
lee-part of the island all the afternoon, and although all hands had
been constantly employed ever since the ship had been driven off her
anchoring-ground, the carpenters worked all night in repairing the
boats.
At four o'clock in the morning, the island bore west of us, being four
leagues distant, and right to windward: We had now a fine gale and
smooth water, and about ten o'clock we fetched very near to the south
part of it, and with the help of the boat made the ship tack. As it was
not probable that with such a vessel we could regain the
anchoring-ground, I took advantage of our being so near the shore,
though at a good distance from the watering-place, to send the cutter
for another load. In the mean time I stood on and off with the ship, and
about four o'clock in the afternoon the cutter brought her freight of
water on board. I enquired of the lieutenant after the people on shore,
and he told me, that the violent rain which had fallen in the night, had
suddenly brought down such torrents of water through the hollow or
gulley where they had taken up their station, that they were in the
utmost danger of being swept away before it, and though with great
difficulty they saved themselves, several of the casks were entirely
lost. It was now too late for the boat to make another turn to the place
where we had hitherto got our water; but Mr Erasmus Gower, the
lieutenant, whose diligence and ability in all our dangers and distress
I cannot sufficiently commend, having, as he returned with the cutter,
observed that many runs of water had been made by the night's rain, on
that part of the island which was nearest to us, and knowing how
impatient I was of delay, offered to go thither with the boat, and fill
as many casks as she could bring back. I gladly accepted this offer; Mr
Gower went away in the boat, and in the mean time I made a tack off with
the ship; but before they had been gone an hour, the weather began to
grow gloomy, and the wind to freshen, a heavy black cloud at the same
time settled over the island so as to hide the tops of the hills, and
soon after it began to thunder and lighten at a dreadful rate: As these
appearances were very threatening, I stood in again towards the island
in hopes of meeting with the boat; but though we ran in as close as we
dared, we saw nothing of her. In the mean time night came on, which the
thickness of the weather rendered extremely dark, the gale increased,
and it began to rain with great violence: In this situation I lay to
under a balanced mizen, firing guns, and burning false fires, as a guide
to the boat; and not being able to account for her delay, I suffered the
most distressful anxiety, and had indeed but too much reason to fear
that she was lost. About seven o'clock, however, to my unspeakable
satisfaction, she came safe alongside, and as I had long seen a storm
gathering, which I expected every moment to burst upon us, we got her in
with all possible expedition. It was indeed happy for us all that no
time was lost; for before she could be got into her place the squall
came on, which in a moment laid the ship down in a surprising manner,
and broke the mizen gaff just where the sail was reefed; so that if
another minute had passed before the boat had been got in, we must
inevitably have lost her, and every soul on board would have perished.
This wind and weather continued till midnight, when it became somewhat
more moderate, so that we were able to set our courses and top-sails. In
the mean time I had enquired of Mr Gower how it came to be so long
before he returned to the ship, and he told me, that after he had got to
the place where he intended to fill the casks, three of the boat's crew
had swam ashore with them for that purpose; but that within a few
minutes the surf had risen so high, and broke with such fury on the
shore, that it was impossible for them to get back to the boat; that
being unwilling to leave them behind, especially as they were stark
naked, he had waited in hopes that an opportunity might be found for
their coming on board; but that, being intimidated by the appearance of
the weather, and the uncommon darkness of the night, he had at last,
with whatever reluctance, been obliged to come on board without them.
The situation of these poor fellows now furnished another subject of
solicitude and anxiety; they were naked, upon a desolate island, at a
great distance from the watering-place where their shipmates had a tent,
without food and without shelter, in a night of violent and incessant
rain, with such thunder and lightning as in Europe is altogether
unknown. In the evening of the 19th, however, I had the satisfaction to
receive them on board, and to hear an account of their adventures from
their own lips. As long as it was light, they flattered themselves, like
their friends in the boat, that they should find an opportunity to
return on board her; but afterwards, when the darkness of the night was
broken only by the flashes of lightning, and the tempest became every
moment more violent, they knew that to reach the boat was impossible, if
it still remained in its station; and that most probably the people on
board had provided for their own safety, by returning on board the ship:
To reach the tent of their shipmates, during the darkness and tempest,
was equally beyond their power, and they were reduced to the necessity
of passing such a night, in such a place, without the least defence
against either the rain or the cold, which now began to be severely
felt. Necessity is said to be ingenious; and they contrived to procure
a temporary succedaneum both for apparel and a shed, by lying one upon
another, each man alternately placing himself between the other two; in
this situation it may easily be believed that they longed most ardently
for the dawn, and as soon as it appeared they set out for the tent: They
were obliged, however, to make their way along the seashore, for the
inland country was impassable; nor was this the worst, for they were
frequently stopped by high steep bluff points, which they were obliged
to swim round at a considerable distance; for if they had not taken a
compass, they would have been dashed to pieces against the rocks by the
surf, and as it was, they were every moment in danger of being devoured
by a shark. About ten o'clock in the morning, however, they reached the
tents, almost perished with hunger and cold, and were received with
equal surprise and joy by their shipmates, who immediately shared with
them such provisions and clothes as they had. When they came on board, I
gave orders that they should have such refreshments as were proper, and
remain in their hammocks the whole night. The next day they were as
hearty as if nothing had happened, nor did they suffer any farther
inconvenience from the accident. These were three of the honest fellows
who had swam naked from the ship at the island of Madeira to get a
skinful of liquor. I now return to my narrative in the order of time.
On the 18th, the weather was moderate, and in the evening we were within
half a mile of the anchoring-ground, from which we had been driven; but
the wind suddenly failing, and a current making against us, we could not
reach it: We took advantage, however, of being so near the waterers'
tent to send a boat on shore to enquire after the three men whose
adventure has been just related, and soon after she brought them on
board. The carpenters were all this time employed in making a new
mizen-gaff, out of a gib-boom, and in the mean while we were obliged to
makeshift with the old one, keeping the sail balanced. It continued a
stark calm all the night, so that in the morning we found the current
and the swell had driven us no less than nine miles from the land: The
weather, however, being good, I sent the cutter for a load of water,
which she brought on board about one o'clock. Soon after a breeze sprung
up at N.N.W. and as we now approached the land very fast, I sent the
boat on shore again for water; it happened, however, that before we
could reach our anchoring-ground, it again fell calm, and we were again
kept off by the current: The boat in the meantime, as she rowed along
the shore, caught as much fish with hook and line as served all the
ship's company, which was some alleviation of our disappointment. At
eight o'clock in the evening, it began again to blow hard with sudden
squalls, so that we passed another toilsome and dangerous night. In the
morning, having a stiff gale at N.W. we made towards our
anchoring-ground with all the sail we could spread, and happily regained
it about four o'clock in the afternoon, when we anchored, at two cables'
length from the beach, in eighteen fathom, with a bottom of fine sand,
and moored with a small anchor in shore. By the time the ship was
properly secured, it was too late to proceed with our watering; the
long-boat however was sent along the shore to fish, and though before
seven o'clock it blew so hard that she was obliged to return, she
brought fish enough on board to serve all the people. In the night we
had foul weather, with hard squalls and much rain; and in the morning,
the wind blowing with great violence along the shore, we frequently
drove, though we had not less than two hundred fathom of cable out; for
the bank is a loose fine sand that easily gives way. We rode out the
storm, however, without damage, but the rain was so violent, and the sea
ran so high, that nothing could be done with the boats, which was the
more mortifying, as it was for the sake of completing our watering that
we had endured almost incessant labour for five days and nights to
regain the situation in which we now lay. About eight in the evening,
the wind became more moderate, and though it was then too late to fetch
off any water, we got out one of the boats, and sent three men on shore,
right abreast of the ship, to kill seals, and make oil of their fat, for
burning in lamps and other uses on board the ship.