In The Evening, Having The Wind At S.W. They
Steered S. Meeting With Prodigious Large Waves, Rolling Along Before
The
wind; and, from the depth of the water to leeward, which appeared by
very evident signs, they were fully
Convinced that they had the great
South Sea open before them, into which they had now almost made their
way by a new passage of their own discovering.
[Footnote 107: The former of these names is still retained, but not the
latter; the land on the west of the Straits of Le Maire being Terra del
Fuego; and the cape at the N.W. of the straits mouths is now called Cape
St Vincent, while the S.W. point is named Cape St Diego. - E.]
At this place the sea-mews were larger than swans, their wings when
extended measuring six feet from tip to tip. These often alighted on the
ship, and were so tame as to allow themselves to be taken by hand,
without even attempting to escape. The 26th at noon they made their
latitude 57 deg. S. where they were assailed by a brisk storm at W.S.W. the
sea running very high, and of a blue colour. They still held their
course to the southwards, but changed at night to the N.W. in which
direction they saw very high land. At noon of the 27th they were in 56 deg.
51' S. the weather being very cold, with hail and rain, and the wind at
W. and W. by S. The 28th they had great billows rolling from the west,
and were at noon in 56 deg.
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