The Island Also Produces Lemons, And Has Plenty Of
Oxen, Cows, Goats, And Hogs, Which The Negroes Bartered For Salt.
On the
S.E. part of the island there is a good watering-place, but difficult to
find, which is commanded by a stone breast-work, whence the negroes
might greatly annoy any who attempted to water by force.
They grow here
some cotton, which is sent to Portugal. The natives are treacherous, and
require to be cautiously dealt with.
The fleet left Annobon on the 4th November, and on the 6th January,
1624, they were in lat. 44 deg. 40' S. where they saw many sea-gulls, and
much herbage floating on the water, whence they supposed themselves near
the continent of South America. On the 19th the sea appeared as red as
blood, proceeding from an infinite quantity of a small species of
shrimps. On the 28th they lost sight of their bark, in which were
eighteen men, three of them Portuguese. These people, as they afterwards
learnt, having in vain endeavoured to rejoin the fleet, determined to
return to Holland. Being in want of water, they sailed up the Rio de la
Plata till they came into fresh water, after which they continued their
voyage, suffering incredible hardships, and the utmost extremity of
want, till they arrived on the coast of England, where they ran their
vessel on shore to escape a privateer belonging to Dunkirk, and
afterward got back to Holland.
The 1st February the fleet came in sight of land, being Cape de
Pennas.[135] Next day they found themselves at the mouth of the straits.
This is easily distinguished, as the country on the east, called Saten
Land, is mountainous, but broken and very uneven; while that on the
west, called Maurice Land by the Dutch, or Terra del Fuego, has
several small round hills close to the shore. The 6th they had sight of
Cape Horn; and on the 11th, being in lat. 58 deg. 30' S. they had
excessively cold weather, which the people were ill able to bear, being
on short allowance. On the 16th they were in lat. 56 deg. 10' S. Cape Horn
being then to the east of them, and anchored on the 17th in a large bay,
which they named Nassau bay.[136] Another bay was discovered on the
18th, in which there was good anchorage, with great convenience for
wooding and watering, and which they called Schapenham's bay, after the
name of their vice-admiral.
[Footnote 135: This seems to be what is now called Cape St Vincent, at
the W. side of the entrance into the Straits of Le Maire. - E.]
[Footnote 136: The centre of Nassau bay is in lat. 55 deg. 30' N. long. 68 deg.
20' W. This bay is formed between Terra del Fuego on the north, and
Hermite's island south by east, the south-eastern extreme point of which
is Cape Horn. This island appears to have been named after admiral Le
Hermite.
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