A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 15 | Page 9

be amiss to say, that it is a rock of a
considerable height, situated in the latitude of 54° 46' S., longitude 63°
47' W., with a rocky islet lying close under the north part of it. To the
westward of the cape, about five or six miles, is an inlet, which seemed
to divide the land, that is, to communicate with the sea to the south; and
between this inlet and the cape is a bay, but I cannot say of what depth.
In sailing round the cape we met with a very strong current from the
south: It made a race which looked like breakers; and it was as much as
we could do, with a strong gale, to make head against it.[6]
[Footnote 6: Captain Krusenstern, as has been noticed in vol. 12, page
413, verified Cook's longitude of Cape St John, having found it to agree
exactly with that pointed out by the watches on board his consort the
Neva, which differed but a few minutes from those in his own
vessel.--E.]
After getting round the cape, I hauled up along the south coast, and as
soon as we had brought the wind to blow off the land, it came upon us
in such heavy squalls as obliged us to double-reef our top-sails. It
afterwards fell, by little and little, and at noon ended in a calm. At this
time Cape St John bore N. 20° E., distant three and a half leagues; Cape
St Bartholomew, or the S.W. point of Staten Land, S. 83° W.; two high
detached rocks N. 80° W.; and the place where the land seemed to be
divided, which had the same appearance on this side, bore N. 15° W.
three leagues distant. Latitude observed 54° 56'. In this situation we
sounded, but had no bottom with a line of 120 fathoms. The calm was
of very short duration, a breeze presently springing up at N.W.; but it
was too faint to make head against the current, and we drove with it
back to the N.N.E. At four o'clock the wind veered, at once, to S. by E.,
and blew in squalls attended with rain. Two hours after, the squalls and
rain subsided, and the wind returning back to the west, blew a gentle
gale. All this time the current set us to the north, so that, at eight o'clock,
Cape St John bore W.N.W., distant about seven leagues. I now gave
over plying, and steered S.E., with a resolution to leave the land;
judging it to be sufficiently explored to answer the most general
purposes of navigation and geography.[7]
[Footnote 7: The very intelligent officer mentioned in the preceding
note, seems to have been very materially benefited by the observations

of Captain Cook, in navigating this quarter, and does not hesitate to
avow his obligations. An instance of this is recorded in our account of
Byron's voyage, vol. 12, p. 74, which refers to a passage in the next
section as to the currents losing their force at ten or twelve leagues
from land.--E.]
SECTION IV.
_Observations, geographical and nautical, with an Account of the
Islands near Staten Land, and the Animals found in them_.[8]
[Footnote 8: It has been thought advisable to retain this section
verbatim, although the references it makes to Captain Cook's chart can
scarcely be understood without that accompaniment, and several
observations of another sort which it contains, are given elsewhere. In
justice to the memory of Cook, it was resolved to preserve the whole of
his relation, at the risk of a very trivial repetition, which the reader, it is
believed, will be little disposed to resent.--E.]
The chart will very accurately shew the direction, extent, and position
of the coast, along which I have sailed, either in this or my former
voyage. The latitudes have been determined by the sun's meridian
altitude, which we were so fortunate as to obtain every day, except the
one we sailed from Christmas Sound, which was of no consequence, as
its latitude was known before. The longitudes have been settled by
lunar observations, as is already mentioned. I have taken 67° 46' for the
longitude of Cape Horn. From this meridian the longitudes of all the
other parts are deduced by the watch, by which the extent of the whole
mast be determined to a few miles; and whatever errors there may be in
longitude, must be general. But I think it highly probable that the
longitude is determined to within a quarter of a degree. Thus the extent
of Terra del Fuego from east to west, and consequently that of the
straits of Magalhaens, will be found less than most navigators have
made it.
In order to illustrate this and to shew the situations of the neighbouring
lands,