Being Ignorant Of The Greenland
Fishery, I Cannot Pretend To Say Whether That Trade Might Not Be Carried
On Here; But This I May Venture To Affirm, That The Navigation Here Is
Safer, And I Am Apt To Believe It Has A Greater Chance Of Being
Successful.[256]
[Footnote 256:
This southern whale-fishery is now carried on to a
considerable extent. - E.]
On the 19th September, about midnight, perceiving the water all at once
to be discoloured, we sounded, and had 25 fathoms, on which we stood out
from the land, but did not deepen our water in five leagues. This bank
must lie very near the entrance into the Straits of Magellan. On this
bank we saw great numbers of blubbers, appearing like the tops of
umbrellas, curiously streaked with all sorts of colours, being an
entirely different species from any I had ever seen before. We now
steered for the Straits of Le Maire, and met with very foggy weather
on approaching the coast of Terra del Fuego. The fog cleared up on the
23d September, when we had sight of stupendous mountains on that
southern land, entirely covered with snow. The nearest point of land was
at least eight leagues from us, in the S.W. but before we could
ascertain our situation the mist returned. At four next morning,
proceeding under easy sail to the S.E. it proved very clear at
day-break, and I found we had fallen in with the land about five leagues
N.W. from the straits of Le Maire. We had now a full, but melancholy
prospect of the most desolate country that can well be conceived,
appearing a congeries of chains of mountains in succession, one behind
the other, perpetually cloathed in snow.
Hitherto we had not been sensible of any current, either favourable or
adverse, after getting to the south of the Rio Plata. But this afternoon
we were hurried with incredible rapidity into the straits of Le Maire;
and when we had gained about the middle of the passage, the tide
slackened. On sounding we had twenty-seven fathoms on a rocky bottom. We
had a dear view of Staten-land, which yields a most uncomfortable
prospect of a surprising height, quite covered with snow to the very
wash of the sea, so that it seems more like a white cloud than firm
land. These straits seemed to answer well to the map of Frezier; being
about seven leagues through and six wide, and extend almost due north
and south. Now the return tide rushed upon us with a violence equal to
that which brought us in, and it was astonishing with what rapidity we
were driven again to the north, though we had a fresh gale at N.W. so
that we seemed to advance six knots by the log; whence I judged this
tide ran not less than ten knots. In short, we were carried quite out of
the straits to the north in about an hour.
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