nd, from the depth of the water to leeward, which appeared by
very evident signs, they were fully convinced that they had the great
South Sea open before them, into which they had now almost made their
way by a new passage of their own discovering.

[Footnote 107: The former of these names is still retained, but not the
latter; the land on the west of the Straits of Le Maire being Terra del
Fuego; and the cape at the N.W. of the straits mouths is now called Cape
St Vincent, while the S.W. point is named Cape St Diego.--E.]

At this place the _sea-mews_ were larger than swans, their wings when
extended measuring six feet from tip to tip. These often alighted on the
ship, and were so tame as to allow themselves to be taken by hand,
without even attempting to escape. The 26th at noon they made their
latitude 57 deg. S. where they were assailed by a brisk storm at W.S.W. the
sea running very high, and of a blue colour. They still held their
course to the southwards, but changed at night to the N.W. in which
direction they saw very high land. At noon of the 27th they were in 56 deg.
51' S. the weather being very cold, with hail and rain, and the wind at
W. and W. by S. The 28th they had great billows rolling from the west,
and were at noon in 56 deg. 48' S. The 29th having the wind at N.E. they
steered S.W. and came in sight of two islands W.S.W. of their course,
beset all round with cliffs. They got to these islands at noon, giving
the name of _Barnevelt's Islands_, and found their latitude to be 57 deg.
S.[108] "Being unable to sail _above_ them, they held their course to
the north; and taking a N.W. course in the evening from Barnevelt's
islands, they saw land N.W. and N.N.W. from them, being the lofty
mountainous land covered with snow, which lies to the south of the
straits of Magellan, [called Terra del Fuego,] and which ends in a sharp
point, to which they gave the name of _Cape Horn_, which is in lat. 57 deg.
48' S."[109]

[Footnote 108: Only 56 deg., so that by some inaccuracy of instruments or
calculation, the observations of the latitude, in this voyage, seem all
considerably too high.--E.]

[Footnote 109: The course in the text within inverted commas, from
Barnevelt's islands to Cape Horn, is evidently erroneously stated. It
ought to have run thus. "Being unable to pass to the north of these
islands, they held their course S.W. seeing land on the N.W. and N.N.W.
of their course, which ended in a sharp point, w