weftward for about three leagues, in order to get round a cape, which was the westermoft land we could fee. It blew very hard, and there ran such a fea that we heartily wifhed ourselves back again, and accordingly made the best of our way for that bay, which we had left in the morning; but before we could reach it, night came on, and we paffed a moft dismal one, lying upon our oars. The weather continuing very bad, we put in for the fhore in the morning, where we found nothing but tangle and fea-weed. We now paffed fome days roving about for provifions, as the weather was too bad to make another attempt to get round the cape as yet. We found fome fine lagoons towards the head of the bay, and in them killed fome feals, and got a good quantity of shellfish, which was a great relief to us. We now made a fecond attempt to double the cape; but when we got the length of it, and paffed the first head-land, for it confifts of three, of an equal height, we got into a fea that was horrid; for it ran all in heaps like the Race of Portland, but much worse. We were happy to put back to the old place, with little hopes of ever getting round this cape. Next day, the weather proving very bad, all hands went afhore to procure fome fuftenance, except two in each boat, which were left as boatkeepers this office we took by turns, and it was now my lot to be upon this duty with another man. The yawl lay within us at a grapnel; in the night it blew very hard, and a great sea tumbled in upon the flore; but being extremely fatigued, we in the boats went to fleep: notwithftanding, however, I was at laft awakened by the uncommon motion of the boat, and the roar ing of the breakers every where about us. At the fame time I heard a fhrieking, like to that of perfons in diftrefs. I looked out, and faw the yawl canted bottom upwards by a fea, and foon afterwards it disappeared. One of our men, whose name was William Rofe, a quarter-mafter, was drowned; the other was thrown afhore by the furf, with his head buried in the fand; but by the immediate affiftance of the people on fhore, was faved. As for us in the barge, we expected the fame fate every moment; for the fea broke a long way without us. However, we got her head to it, and hove up our grapnel, or I fhould rather fay kellick, which we had made to ferve in the room of our grapnel, thrown overboard fome time before, to lighten the boat. By this means we ufed our utmoft efforts to pull her without the breakers fome way, and then let go our kellick again. Here we lay all the next day in a great fea, not knowing what would be our fate. To add to our mortification, we could fee our companions in tolerable plight afhore eating feal, while we were ftarving with hunger and cold. For this month paft, we had not known what it was to have a dry thread about us. The next day being fomething more moderate, we ventured in with the barge as near as we could, in fafety, to the fhore, and our companions threw us fome feal's liver; which having eat greedily, we were feized with exceflive fickness, which affected us fo much that our skin peeled off from head to foot. Whilft the people were on fhore here, Mr. Hamilton met with a large feal, or fea-lion, and fired a brace of balls into him, upon which the animal turned upon him, open-mouthed; but prefently H 2 prefently fixing his bayonet, he thurst it down its throat, with a good part of the barrel of the gun, which the creature bit in two, feemingly with as much eafe as if it had been a twig. Notwithstanding the wounds it received, it eluded all farther efforts to kill it, and got clear off. I call this animal a large feal, or fea-lion, becaufe it refembles a feal in many particulars; but then it exceeds it fo much in fize, as to be fufficiently determined by that diftinction only to be of another fpecies. Mr. Walter, in Lord Anfon's voyage, has given a particular defcription of thofe which are feen about Juan Fernandez; but they have in other climates different appearances, as well as different qualities, as we had occafion to observe in this and a late voyage I made. However, as fo much already has been faid of the fealion, I fhall only mention two peculiarities; the one relative to its appearance, and the other to its properties of action, which diftinguish it from those described by him. Those I faw were without that fnout, or trunk, hanging below the end of the upper jaw; but then the males were furnished with a large fhaggy mane, which gave them a moft formidable appearance. And, whereas he fays thofe he faw were unwieldy, and eafily deftroyed, we found fome, on the contrary, that lay at a mile's distance from the water, which. came down upon us, when disturbed, with fuch impetuofity, that it was as much as we could do to get out of their way; and, when attacked, would turn upon us with great agility. Having loft the yawl, and being too many for the barge to carry off, we were compelled to leave four of our men behind. They were all marines, who feemed to have no great objection to to the determination made with regard to them, fo exceedingly difheartened and worn out were they with the diftreffes and dangers they had already gone through. And, indeed, I believe it would have been a matter of indifference to the greatest part of the reft, whether they should embark or take their chance. The captain diftributed to these poor fellows arms and ammunition, and fome other neceffaries. When we parted, they stood upon the beach, giving us three cheers, and called out, God bless the king. We faw them a little after setting out upon their forlorn hope, and helping one another over a hideous track of rocks; but confidering the difficulties attending this only way of travelling left them, for the woods are impracticable, from their thickness, and the deep fwamps to be met every where in them; confidering too, that the coaft here is rendered fo inhofpitable, by the heavy feas that are conftantly tumbling upon it, as not to afford even a little shell-fish, it is probable that all met with a miferable end. We rowed along shore to the weftward, in order to make one more attempt to double the cape: when abreast of the first head-land, there ran fuch a fea, that we expected every inftant the boat would go down. But as the preservation of life had now, in a great measure, loft its actuating principle upon us, we ftill kept pushing through it, till we opened bay to the northward. In all my and vifited the laft remains of the wreck, when we were fortunate enough to find three cafks of beef, which we brought on fhore. This providential supply revived our spirits, and recruited our almoft exhaufted ftrength. All participated in this relief, and foon found the good effects of it. We now began to grow extremely impatient to leave the inland, as the days were nearly at their longeft, and about midfummer, in these parts; but as to the weather, there feems to be little difference of feasons. Accordingly, on the 15th of December, the day being tolerable, we told Captain Cheap, we thought it a fine opportunity to run across the bay. But he firft defired two or three of us to accompany him to our place of observation, the top of Mount Mifery; when, looking through his perfpective, he obferved to us, that the fea ran very high without. : This, however, had no weight with the people, who were defirous, at all events, to be gone. I fhould here obferve, that Captain Cheap's plan was, if poffible, to get to the Island of Chiloe; and if we found any veffel there, to board her immediately, and cut her out. This he certainly might have done with ease, had it been his good fortune to get round with the boats. We now launched both boats, and got every thing on board of them as quick as poffible. Captain Cheap, the furgeon, and myself, were in the barge, with nine men; and Lieutenant Hamilton and Mr. Campbell in the yawl, with fix. I fteered the barge, and Mr. Campbell the yawl. But we had not been two hours at fea before the wind shifted more to the weftward, and began to blow |