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11 to the Strait of Magellan. coast of Patagonia are by no means so regular as some naviga tors have imagined them to be. It is a very common notion, that the number of leagues of distance from the land is, in ge neral, equal to the number of fathoms of water in the sound ings ; but, on the contrarj r , in approaching the coast, we some times found that the depth of water, instead of diminishing, in creased : so that the true guide is the sight of the land, when there is generally from 18 to 24 fathoms, as many navigators have remarked. There is not the smallest danger in approaching the Patago nian coast, which is everv-where clean and safe, excepting only in south latitude 48° 34', where there is a shoal lying five or six leagues out from the shore. The two brothers Nodal, who examined these seas in 1619, and M. de Bougainville in 1764, have both fixed its position, agreeing very nearly as to its lati tude ; so that there can be no doubt as to its existence. From the time that we came into soundings we saw a prodi gious number of sea-fowl, as well as of whales, and sea-lions or seals, which abound all over these seas. On the 18th December at sunset, at last, we had the happi ness to obtain a sight of the land, five or six leagues off, in south latitude 51°; but the horizon being dim, we could not know precisely what part it was: only we concluded, from the latitude, that it was the bay at the mouth of the river Santa Cruz. We were then in 4.5 fathoms water, with brown and black sand. All night we stood on along the coast, steering S. and S. by W. sounding from time to time, from 48 to 43 fathoms, fine brown and black sand ; and, in the morning, observed Cape de Barreras Blancas, called by Wallis and other foreign ers Cape Fair Weather. According to observations at noon, this cape lies in south latitude 51° 31'30''; and measuring the difference of meridians between it and Cape de las Virgines, afterwards correctly determined, its longitude is 62 Q 40' 30" W. from Cadiz. To the southward of Cape Fair Weather we observed seven little hills a good way up from the shore, but very near one to another, and all about the same height, which, for these rea sons, we called Los Frayles (the Friars). At 11 a.m. we got within sight of the long-looked-for Cape de las Virgines. The wind had blown very strong all the day from the SW.; but at S p.m. it fell calm, when, considering that we might ride in safety under the shelter of the land, with out being driven to leeward, should the wind become more vio lent and contrary, we resolved here to wait for a favourable, opportunity for entering the Strait of Magellan, of which the c 2
