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An.1686
The Maria's Islands.
which was opposite to us: but would we go to Cali- fornia upon any Discovery or otherwise, we should bear 60 or 70 leagues off from shore; where we should avoid the Land-winds, and have the benefit of the true Easterly Trade-wind.
Finding therefore that we got nothing, but ra- ther lost ground, being then in 21 d. 5 m. N. we steered away more to the Eastward again for the Islands Maria's, and the 7th day we came to an an- chor at the East end of the middle Island, in 8 fa- thom Water, good clean Sand.
The Maria's are three uninhabited Islands in lat. 21 d. 40 m. they are distant from Cape St. Lucas on California 40 leagues, bearing West South West, and they are distant from Cape Corrientes 20 leagues, bearing upon the same points of the Com- pass with Cape St. Lucas. They stretch N. W. and S.E. about 14 leagues. There are 2 or 3 small high Rocks near them: The Westermost of them is the biggest Island of the three; and they are all three of an indifferent heighth. The soil is stony and dry; the land, in most places, is covered with a shrubby sort of Wood, very thick and trouble- some to pass through. In some places there is plen- ty of straight large Cedars; though speaking of the places where I have found Cedars, Chap. 3. I for- got to mention this place. The Spaniards make mention of them in other places: but I speak of those which I have seen. All round by the Sea side it is sandy; and there is produced a green prickly Plant, whose leaves are much like the Penguin-leaf, and the root like the root of a Sempervive, but much larger. This root being bak'd in an Oven is good to eat: and the Indians on California, as I have been informed, have great part of their subsistence from these roots. We made an Oven in a sandy Bank; and baked of these Roots, and I eat of them: but none of us greatly cared for them. They taste ex- actly