employ our ships in the transport of troops to Chiloe. The two English
whalers had already been taken possession of for this purpose, without
the consent of their captains.

The result of our observations on land are as follows:

Latitude from Mendiburu's house in Talcaguana 36 deg. 42' 15"
West Longitude 73 deg. 8' 20"
Declination of the needle 14 deg. East
Inclination 80 deg. 4'

The tide is here quite imperceptible. During the whole time of our stay,
Reaumur's thermometer stood between 15 and 17 degrees.

THE

DANGEROUS ARCHIPELAGO.

THE

DANGEROUS ARCHIPELAGO.

The many islands composing this Archipelago, and which the little
coralline insects have built in the midst of the ocean, are so low, that
they are invisible at a very trifling distance. From this cause they
have often, in darkness or bad weather, proved dangerous to navigation,
and have thence derived their name. It was my intention now, to
ascertain exactly the geographical position of the islands which I had
discovered on my former voyage. O Tahaiti was to serve as a point from
which to determine the longitude, and at the same time to furnish us
with provisions.

I directed my course to this Archipelago, between the parallels of 15
and 16 degrees of South latitude, because this is not the usual track
of merchants' ships, nor has it been taken in voyages of discovery, so
that I thought it not improbable that we might fall in with other
unknown islands. In pursuance of this plan, we steered north-west, for
the above mentioned parallel. An uninterrupted fresh south wind having
carried us six hundred and sixty miles forwards in three days, brought
us into the hot climate so suddenly, that we were much inconvenienced by
it. The island of Juan Fernandez, whither the Spaniards, when masters in
Chili, used to banish criminals and republicans, lay on our left, and
the little uninhabited rocky islands of Felix and Ambrosia at a little
distance on our right. After rapidly gaining the Southern Tropic, our
voyage, though pleasant, was far more tranquil; the slightness of the
motion between the Tropics, admits of employment on board a ship, for
which a sailor has generally little opportunity; even drawings may be
executed in the neatest manner.

On the 17th February we found ourselves under eighteen degrees of South
latitude, and