English octant. This method of determining the longitude, by means of
the distances of the moon from the sun, or from the stars in the zodiac,
has been known for several years. Mess. de la Caille and Daprès have
particularly made use of it at sea, likewise employing Hadley’s octant.
But as the degree of accuracy obtained by this method depends in a great
measure upon the accuracy of the instrument with which you observe, it
follows that M. Bouguer’s heliometer, if one could measure great angles
with it, would be very fit for rectifying these observations of
distances. The Abbé de la Caille probably has thought of that, because
he got one made, which would measure arcs of six or seven degrees; and
if in his works he does not speak of it as an instrument fit for
observing at sea, it is because he foresaw the difficulty of using it on
board a ship.
M. Verron brought on board with him an instrument called a megameter,
which he has employed in the other voyages he made with M. de
Charnieres, and which he has likewise made use of on this. This
instrument appeared to be very little different from the heliometer of
M. Bouguer, except that the screw by which the objectives move, being
longer, it places them at a greater distance asunder, and by that means
makes the instrument capable of measuring angles of ten degrees, which
was the limit of M. Verron’s megameter. It is to be wished, that by
lengthening the screw, we were able to augment its extension still more,
it being confined in too narrow bounds to allow a frequent repetition,
and even to make the observations exact; but the laws of dioptrics limit
the removing of the objectives. It is likewise necessary to remedy the
difficulty which the Abbé de la Caille foresaw, I mean, that which
arises from the element on which the observation must be made. In
general, it seems that the reflecting quadrant of Hadley would be
preferable, if it were equally accurate.
[Sidenote: Difficulties on entering the straits.]
From the 2d of December in the afternoon, when we got sight of Cape
Virgins, and soon after of Terra del Fuego, the contrary wind and the
stormy weather opposed us for several days together. We plyed to
windward the 3d till six in the evening, when the winds becoming more
favourable, permitted our bearing away for the entrance of Magalhaens’
Straits: this lasted but a short time; at half past seven it became
quite calm, and the coasts covered with fogs; at ten it blew fresh
again, and we passed the night by plying to windward. The 4th, at three
o’clock in the morning, we made for the land with a good northern
breeze; but the weather which was rainy and hazy intercepting our sight
of it, we were obliged to stand off to sea again. At five in the
morning, in a clear spot, we perceived Cape Virgins, and bore away in
order to enter the straits; almost immediately the wind changed to S. W.
whence it soon blew with violence, the fog became thicker, and we were
obliged to lay-to between the two shores of Terra del Fuego and the
continent.
[Sidenote: Observation on the nature of the ground at the entrance of
the straits.]
Our fore-sail was split the fourth in the afternoon; and we having
sounded, almost at the same moment, only twenty fathom, the fear of the
breakers, which extend S. S. E. off Cape Virgins, made me resolve to
scud under our bare poles; especially as this manœuvre facilitated the
operation of bending another fore-sail to the yard. These soundings,
however, which made me bear away, were not alarming; they were those in
the channel, as I have since learnt, by sounding with a clear view of
the land. I shall add, for the use of those who may be plying here in
thick weather, that a gravelly bottom shews that they are nearer the
coast of Terra del Fuego than to the continent; where they will find a
fine sand, and sometimes oozy bottom.
At five o’clock in the evening we brought to again, under the main and
mizen stay-sails; at half past seven of the clock the wind abated, the
sky cleared up, and we made sail; but with disadvantageous tacks, which
brought us further from the coast; and, indeed, though on the 5th the
weather was very fair, and the wind favourable, we did not see the land
till two in the afternoon; when it extended from S. by W. to S. W. by W.
about ten leagues off. At four o’clock we again discovered Cape Virgins;
and we made sail in order to double it, at the distance of about a
league and a half, or two leagues. It is not adviseable to come nearer,
on account of a bank, which lies off the Cape, at about that distance. I
am even inclined to believe, that we passed over the tail of that sand;
for as we sounded very frequently, between two soundings, one of
twenty-five and the other of seventeen fathom, the Etoile, which sailed
in our wake, made signal of eight fathom; but the moment after she
deepened her water.
[Sidenote: Nautical remarks upon the entrance of the straits.]
Cape Virgins is a table-land, of a middling height; it is perpendicular
at its extremity; the view of it given by lord Anson, is most exactly
true. At half past nine in the evening, we had brought the north point
of the entrance to the straits to bear W. from which a ledge of rocks
extends a league into the sea. We ran under our close-reefed
fore-top-sail and lower sails hauled up, till eleven o’clock at night,
when Cape Virgins bore N. of us. It blew very fresh; and the gloominess
of the weather, seeming to threaten a storm, determined me to pass the
night standing off and on.
The 6th, at break of day, I ordered all the reefs out of the top-sails,
and run to W. N. W. We did not see land, till half past four o’clock,
when it appeared to us that the tides had carried us to the S. S. W. At
half after five, being about two leagues from the continent, we
discovered Cape Possession, being W. by N. and W. N. W. This Cape is
very easily known; it is the first head-land from the north point, at
the entrance of these straits. It is more southerly than the rest of the
coast, which afterwards forms a great gulf, called _Possession Bay_,
between this Cape and the next narrow gut. We had likewise sight of
Terra del Fuego. The winds soon changed to the ordinary points of W. and
N. W. and we ran the most advantageous tacks for entering the strait,
endeavouring to come close to the coast of Patagonia, and taking
advantage of the tide, which then set to the westward.
At noon we had an observation; and the bearings taken at the same time
gave me the same latitude, within a minute, for Cape Virgins, as that
which I had concluded from my observations of the third of this month.
We likewise made use of this observation, to ascertain the latitude of
Cape Possession, and of Cape Espiritù Santo, on Terra del Fuego.
[Sidenote: Description
of Cape Orange.]
We continued to ply to windward, under our courses and top-sails, all
the sixth; and the next night, which was very clear, often sounding, and
never going further than three leagues from the coast of the continent.
We got forward very little, by this disagreeable manœuvre; losing as
much by the tides as we gained by them; and the 7th, at noon, we were
still at Cape Possession. Cape Orange bore S. W. about six leagues
distant. This cape is remarkable by a pretty high hillock; deep towards
the sea-side, and forms to the southward the first gut, or narrow pass,
in the straits[61]. [Sidenote: Its rocks.] Its point is dangerous, on
account of a ledge which extends to the N. E. of the cape, at least
three leagues into the sea. I have very plainly seen the sea break over
it. At one o’clock, after noon, the wind having shifted to N. N. W. we
made advantage of it to continue our voyage. At half past two we were
come to the entrance of the gut; another obstacle attended us there; we
were not able, with a fine fresh breeze, and all our sails set, to stem
the tide. At four o’clock it ran six knots a-long side of us, and we
went a-stern. We persisted in vain to strive against it. The wind was
less constant than we were, and obliged us to return. It was to be
feared, that we might be becalmed in the gut; exposed to the current of
the tide; which might carry us on the ledges off the capes which form
its entrance at E. and W.
[Sidenote: Anchoring in Possession-bay.]
We steered N. by E. in search of a good anchoring-ground, in the bottom
of Possession-bay; when the Etoile, which was nearer the coast than we
were, having passed all at once from twenty fathom to five, we bore
away, and stood east, in order to avoid a ledge of rocks, which seemed
to lie in the bottom, and in the whole circuit of the bay. During some
time we found a bottom of nothing but rocks and pebbles; and it was
seven at night, being in twenty fathom, the ground mud and sand, with
black and white gravel, when we anchored about two leagues from the
land. Possession-bay is open to all winds, and has but very bad
anchoring-ground. In the bottom of this bay arise five hills; one of
which is a very considerable one; the other four are little and pointed.
We have called them _le Pere et les quatre fils Aymond_; they serve as a
conspicuous mark for this part of the straits. At night we sounded at
the several times of the tide, without finding any sensible difference
in the depth. At half an hour past eight it set to the west; and at
three in the morning to the eastward.
[Sidenote: Passing the first _goulet_, or gut.]
The eighth in the morning we set sail under courses, and double-reefed
top sails; the tide was contrary to us, but we stemmed it with a fine N.
W. breeze[63]. At eight o’clock the wind headed us, and we were obliged
to ply to windward; now and then receiving violent squalls of wind. At
ten o’clock, the tide beginning to set in westward with sufficient
force, we lay to, under our top sails, at the entrance of the first gut,
driving with the current, which carried us to windward; and tacking
about whenever we found ourselves too near either coast. Thus we passed
the first narrow entrance or gut[64] in two hours; notwithstanding the
wind was right against us, and blew very hard.
[Sidenote: Sight of the Patagonians.]
This morning the Patagonians, who had kept up fires all night, at the
bottom of Possession-bay, hoisted a white flag on an eminence; and we
answered it by hoisting that of our ships. These Patagonians certainly
are the same which the Etoile saw in June 1766, in Boucault’s-bay, and
with whom she left this flag, as a sign of alliance. The care they have
taken to preserve it; shews that good-nature, a due regard of their
word, or, at least, gratitude for presents received, are the
characteristics of these men.
[Sidenote: Americans of Terra del Fuego.]
We likewise saw, very distinctly, when we were in the gut, about twenty
men on Terra del Fuego. They were dressed in skins, and ran as fast as
possible along the coast, parallel to our course. They seemed likewise
from time to time to make signs to us with their hands, as if they
wanted us to come to them. According to the report of the Spaniards, the
nation which inhabits this part of Terra del Fuego, practises none of
the cruel customs of most other savages. They behaved with great
humanity to the crew of the ship la Conception, which was lost on their
coast in 1765. They assisted them in saving part of her cargo; and in
erecting sheds, to shelter them against bad weather. The Spaniards built
a bark there of the wreck of their ships, in which they went to Buenos
Ayres. The xebeck el Andaluz was going to bring missionaries to these
Indians, when we left Rio de la Plata. Lumps of wax, being part of the
cargo of the above ship, have been carried by the force of currents to
the coast of the Malouines, where they were found in 1766.
[Sidenote: We anchor in Boucault-bay.]
I have already observed, that we were gone through the first gut at
noon; after that we made sail. The wind was veered to S. and the tide
continued to carry us to the westward. At three o’clock they both failed
us; and we anchored in Boucault’s-bay, in eighteen fathom, oozy bottom.
[Sidenote: Interview with the Patagonians.]
As soon as we were at anchor, I hoisted out one of my boats, and one
belonging to the Etoile. We embarked in them, being about ten officers,
each armed with our muskets; and we landed at the bottom of the bay,
with the precaution of ordering our boats to be kept a-float, and the
crew to remain in them. We had hardly set foot on shore, but we saw six
Americans come to us on horseback, in full gallop. They alighted about
fifty yards from us; and immediately ran towards us, crying, _shawa_.
When they had joined us, they stretched out their arms towards us, and
laid them upon ours. They then embraced us, and shook hands with us,
crying continually, _Shawa, shawa_, which we repeated with them. These
good people seemed very much rejoiced at our arrival. Two of them, who
trembled as they came towards us, had their fears very soon removed.
After many reciprocal caresses, we sent for some cakes and some bread
from our boats; which we distributed amongst them, and which they
devoured with avidity. Their numbers encreased every moment; they were
soon come to thirty, among whom were some young people, and a child of
eight or ten years old. They all came to us with entire confidence; and
caressed us all, as the first had done. They did not seem surprised to
see us; and by imitating the report of muskets with their voice, they
shewed that they were acquainted with these arms. They appeared
attentive to do what might give us pleasure. M. de Commerçon, and some
of our gentlemen, were busy in picking up plants: several Patagonians
immediately began to search for them too, and brought what species they
saw us take up. One of them seeing the chevalier du Bouchage occupied in
this manner, came to shew him his eye, which was very visibly affected;
and asked him by signs, to point out to him some simple, by which he
could be cured. This shews that they have an idea, and make use of that
sort of medicine, which requires the knowledge of simples, and applies
them for the cure of mankind. This was the medicine of Machaon, who was
physician to the gods; and, I believe, that many Machaons might be found
among the Indians in Canada.
We exchanged some trifles, valuable in their eyes, against skins of
_guanacoes_ and _vicunnas_. They asked us by signs for tobacco; and they
were likewise very fond of any thing red: as soon as they saw something
of that colour upon us, they came to stroke it with their hands, and
seemed very desirous of it. At every present which, we gave them, and at
every mark of fondness, they repeated their _shawa_, and cried so that
it almost stunned us. We gave them some brandy; giving each of them only
a small draught: as soon as they had swallowed it, they beat with their
hands on their throat, and by blowing with their mouths, uttered a
tremulous inarticulate sound, which terminated in a quick motion of the
lips. They all made the same droll ceremony, which was a very strange
sight to us.
However, it grew late, and was time to return on board. As soon as they
saw that we were preparing for that purpose, they seemed sorry; they
made signs for us to wait, because some more of their people were
coming. We made signs that we would return the next day, and that we
would bring them what they desired: they seemed as if they would have
liked our passing the night on shore much better. When they saw that we
were going, they accompanied us to the sea shore; a Patagonian sung
during this march. Some of them went into the water up to their knees,
in order to follow us further. When we were come to our boats, we were
obliged to look after every thing; for they got hold of all that was
within their reach. One of them had taken a sickle, but on its being
perceived, he returned it without resistance. Before we were got to any
distance, we perceived their troops encrease, by the arrival of others,
who came in full gallop. We did not fail, as we left them, to shout
_shawa_ so loud that the whole coast resounded with it.
[Sidenote: Description of these Americans.]
These Americans are the same with those seen by the Etoile in 1765. One
of our sailors, who was then on board that vessel, now knew one of these
Americans again, having seen him in the first voyage. They have a fine
shape; among those whom we saw, none was below five feet five or six
inches, and none above five feet nine or ten inches[65]; the crew of the
Etoile had even seen several in the preceding voyage, six feet (or six
feet, 4,728 inches English) high. What makes them appear gigantic, are
their prodigious broad shoulders, the size of their heads, and the
thickness of all their limbs. They are robust and well fed: their nerves
are braced, and their muscles are strong and sufficiently hard; they are
men left entirely to nature, and supplied with food abounding in
nutritive juices, by which means they are come to the full growth they
are capable of: their figure is not coarse or disagreeable; on the
contrary, many of them are handsome: their face is round, and somewhat
flattish; their eyes very fiery; their teeth vastly white, and would
only be somewhat too great at Paris; they have long black hair tied up
on the top of their heads; I have seen some of them with long but thin
whiskers. Their colour is bronzed, as it is in all the Americans,
without exception, both in those who inhabit the torrid zone, and those
who are born in the temperate and in the frigid ones. Some of them had
their cheeks painted red: their language seemed very delicate, and
nothing gave us reason to fear any ferocity in them. We have not seen
their women; perhaps they were about to come to us; for the men always
desired that we should stay, and they had sent one of their people
towards a great fire, near which their camp seemed to be, about a league
from us; and they shewed us that somebody would come from thence.
The dress of these Patagonians is very nearly the same with that of the
Indians of Rio de la Plata; they have merely a piece of leather which
covers their natural parts, and a great cloak of _guanaco_ or _sorillos_
skins, which is fastened round the body with a girdle; this cloak hangs
down to their heels, and they generally suffer that part which is
intended to cover the shoulders to fall back, so that, notwithstanding
the rigour of the climate, they are almost always naked from the girdle
upwards. Habit has certainly made them insensible to cold; for though we
were here in summer, Reaumur’s thermometer was only one day risen to ten
degrees above the freezing point. These men have a kind of half boots,
of horse-leather, open behind, and two or three of them had on the thigh
a copper ring, about two inches broad. Some of my officers likewise
observed, that two of the youngest among them had such beads as are
employed for making necklaces.
The only arms which we observed among them, are, two round pebbles,
fattened to the two ends of a twisted gut, like those which are made use
of in all this part of America, and which we have described above. They
had likewise little iron knives, of which the blade was between an inch
and an inch and a half broad. These knives, which were of an English
manufactory, were certainly given them by Mr. Byron. Their horses, which
are little and very lean, were bridled and saddled in the same manner as
those belonging to the inhabitants of Rio de la Plata. One of the
Patagonians had at his saddle, gilt nails; wooden stirrups, covered with
plates of copper; a bridle of twisted leather, and a whole Spanish
harness. The principal food of the Patagonians seems to be the marrow
and flesh of _guanacoes_ and _vicunnas_; many of them had quarters of
this flesh fastened on their horses, and we have seen them eat pieces of
it quite raw. They had likewise little nasty dogs with them, which, like
their horses, drink sea-water, it being a very scarce thing to get fresh
water on this coast, and even in the country.
None of them had any apparent superiority over the rest; nor did they
shew any kind of esteem for two or three old men who were in their
troop. It is remarkable that several of them pronounced the Spanish
words _manana_, _muchacha_, _bueno_, _chico_, _capitan_. I believe this
nation leads the life of Tartars. Besides rambling through the immense
plains of South America, men, women and children being constantly on
horseback, pursuing the game, or the wild beasts, with which those
plains abound, dressing and covering themselves with skins, they bear
probably yet this resemblance with the Tartars, that they pillage the
caravans of travellers. I shall conclude this article by adding, that we
have since found a nation in the South Pacific Ocean which is taller
than the Patagonians.
[Sidenote: Quality of the soil in this part of America.]
The soil in the place we landed at is very dry, and in that particular
bears great resemblance with that of the Malouines; the botanists have
likewise found almost all the same plants in both places. The sea shore
was surrounded with the same sea-weeds, and covered with the same
shells. Here are no woods, but only some shrubs. When we had anchored in
Boucault’s bay, the tide was going to set in against us, and whilst we
were on shore, we observed that the water rose, and accordingly the
flood sets in to eastward. [Sidenote: Remarks on the tides in these
parts.]This observation we have been able to make with certainty several
times during this navigation, and it had struck me already in my first
voyage. At half past nine in the evening, the ebb set to westward. We
sounded at high water[66], and found the depth was encreased to
twenty-one fathoms, from eighteen, which we had when we cast anchor.
[Sidenote: Second time of anchoring in Boucault bay.]
On the 9th, at half an hour past four in the morning, the wind being N.
W. we set all our sails in order to stem the tide, steering S. W. by W.
we advanced only one league; the wind veering to S. W. and blowing very
fresh, we anchored again in nineteen fathom, bottom of sand, ooze, and
rotten shells. The bad weather continued throughout this day and the
next. The short distance we were advanced had brought us further from
the shore, and during these two days, there was not one favourable
instant for sending out a boat, for which, the Patagonians were
certainly as sorry as ourselves. We saw the whole troop of them
collected at the place where we landed before, and we thought we
perceived with our perspective glasses, that they had erected some huts
there. However, I apprehend that their head quarters were more distant,
for men on horseback were constantly going and coming. We were very
sorry that we could not bring them what we had promised; they might be
satisfied at a small expence.
The difference of the depth at the different times of tide, was only one
fathom here. On the 10th, from an observation of the moon’s distance
from Regulus, M. Verron calculated our west longitude in this anchoring
place, at 73° 26′ 15″, and that of the easterly entrance of the second
gut, at 73° 34′ 30″. Reaumur’s thermometer fell from 9° to 8° and 7°.
[Sidenote: Loss of an anchor.]
The 11th, at half an hour after midnight, the wind veering to N. E. and
the tide setting to westward an hour before, I made signal for weighing.
Our efforts to that purpose were fruitless, though we had got the
winding-tackle upon the cable. At two in the morning, the cable parted
between the bits and the hawse, and so we lost our anchor. We set all
our sails, and soon had the tide against us, which we were hardly able
to stem with a light breeze at N. W. though the tide in the second gut
is not near so strong as in the first. [Sidenote: Passing the second
gut.] At noon the ebb came to our assistance, and we passed the second
gut[67], the wind having been variable till three in the afternoon, when
it blew very fresh from S. S. W. and S. S. E. with rain and violent
squalls[68].
[Sidenote: We anchor near the isle of Elizabeth.]
In two boards we came to the anchoring-place, to the northward of the
isle of Elizabeth, where we anchored, two miles off shore, in seven
fathom, grey sand with gravel and rotten shells. The Etoile anchored a
quarter of a league more to the S. E. than we did, and had seventeen
fathom of water.
[Sidenote: Description of this isle.]