Page 82
An.1683
Streight Le Mair. States Ifland.
is very high Land on both fides, and the Streights very narrow. We had the Wind at N. N. W. a frefh gale ; and feeing the opening of the Streights, we ran in with it, till within four mile of the mouth, and then it fell calm, and we found a ftrong tide fetting out of the Streights to the Northward, and like to founder our Ship ; but whether flood or ebb I know not ; only it made fuch a fhort cockling Sea as if we had been in a race, or place where two tides meet: For it ran every way, sometimes break- ing in over our Wafte, fometimes over our Poop, fometimes over our Bow, and the Ship toffed like an Egg-fhell, fo that I never felt fuch uncertain jerks in a Ship. At 8 a clock in the evening we had a fmall Breez at W. N. W. and fteered away to the Eaftward, intending to go round the States Ifland, the Eaft end of which we reached the next day by noon, having a frefh breez all night.
The 7th day at noon being off the Eaft End of States Ifland I had a good obfervation of the Sun, and found my felf in lat. 54 deg. 52 min. South.
At the Eaft end of States Ifland are three fmall Iflands, or rather Rocks, pretty high, and white with the Dung of Fowls. Wherehaving ob- ferved the Sun we haled up South, defigning to pafs round to the Southward of Cape Horn, which is the Southermoft Land of Terra del Fuego. The Winds hung in the weftern quarter betwixt the N. W. and the Weft, fo that we could not get much to the Weftward, and we never faw Terra del Fuego af- ter that evening that we made the Streight Le Mair. I have heard that there have been Smokes and Fires on Terra del Fuego, not on the tops of Hills, but in Plains and Valleys, feen by thofe who have failed through the Streights of Magellan; fuppofed to be made by the Natives.
We did not fee the Sun at rifing or fetting, in or- der to take an amplitude after we left the Sibble de Wards,