FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  
l these animals mix together, like domestic cattle and poultry in a farm-yard, without one attempting to molest the other. Nay, I have often observed the eagles and vultures sitting on the hillocks among the shags, without the latter, either young or old, being disturbed at their presence. It may be asked how these birds of prey live? I suppose on the carcases of seals and birds which die by various causes; and probably not few, as they are so numerous. This very imperfect account is written more with a view to assist my own memory than to give information to others. I am neither a botanist nor a naturalist; and have not words to describe the productions of nature, either in the one branch of knowledge or the other. SECTION V. _Proceedings after leaving Staten Island, with an Account of the Discovery of the Isle of Georgia, and a Description of it._ Having left the land in the evening of the 3d, as before mentioned, we saw it again next morning, at three o'clock, bearing west. Wind continued to blow a steady fresh breeze till six p.m., when it shifted in a heavy squall to S.W., which came so suddenly upon us, that we had not time to take in the sails, and was the occasion of carrying away a top-gallant mast, a studding-sail boom, and a fore studding-sail. The squall ended in a heavy shower of rain, but the wind remained at S.W. Our course was S.E., with a view of discovering that extensive coast laid down by Mr Dalrymple in his chart, in which is the gulph of St Sebastian. I designed to make the western point of that gulph, in order to have all the other parts before me. Indeed I had some doubt of the existence of such a coast; and this appeared to me the best route for clearing it up, and for exploring the southern part of this ocean. On the 5th, fresh gales, and wet and cloudy weather. At noon observed in 57 deg. 9', latitude made from Cape St John, 5 deg. 2' E. At six o'clock p.m., being in the latitude 57 deg. 21', and in longitude 57 deg. 45' W., the variation was 21 deg. 28' E. At eight o'clock in the evening of the 6th, being then in the latitude of 58 deg. 9' S., longitude 53 deg. 14' W., we close-reefed our top-sails, and hauled to the north, with a very strong gale at west, attended with a thick haze and sleet. The situation just mentioned is nearly the same that Mr Dalrymple assigns for the S.W. point of the gulph of St Sebastian. But as we saw neither land, nor signs of land, I was the more
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

latitude

 

mentioned

 
longitude
 

evening

 

Sebastian

 
Dalrymple
 

studding

 

squall

 

observed

 
existence

Indeed

 
poultry
 

appeared

 

exploring

 

southern

 
clearing
 

cattle

 

shower

 

western

 

molest


extensive
 

remained

 
discovering
 

designed

 

attempting

 

hauled

 

strong

 
reefed
 

attended

 

assigns


situation
 
domestic
 

weather

 
cloudy
 

eagles

 

animals

 

variation

 

vultures

 
SECTION
 
Proceedings

knowledge

 

branch

 

describe

 

productions

 
nature
 

leaving

 

Staten

 

Description

 
carcases
 

Having