unity and obedience, sacredly protesting that he had
great private affection for Mr Doughty, and had been solely actuated in
condemning him to an ignominious death, by his care for the welfare of
the voyage, the satisfaction of her majesty, and the honour of his
country.
Leaving this place on the 17th August, they fell in with the eastern
entrance of the Straits of Magellan on the 20th of that month. The 21st
they entered the straits, which they found very intricate, with various
crooked turnings; owing to which, having often to shift their course,
the wind was frequently adverse, making their passage troublesome and
dangerous, especially in sudden blasts of wind; for, although there were
several good harbours, the sea was too deep for anchorage, except in
some narrow creeks or inlets, or between rocks. On both sides of the
straits, there are vast mountains covered with snow, their tops reaching
in many places to great heights, having often two or three ranges of
clouds below their summits. The air in the straits was extremely cold,
with almost continual frost and snow; yet the trees and plants retained
a constant verdure, growing and flourishing in spite of the severity of
the climate. At the south and east parts of the straits there are
various islands, through between which the sea breaks in, as at the main
entrance. The breadth of the straits in some places was only a league,
which was the narrowest, but in most places two, and in some three
leagues across. The 24th August, they came to an island in the straits,
where they found vast quantities of penguins, a sort of water fowl, as
large as a goose, but which does not fly, and of which they killed 3000
in less than a day.
SECTION III.
_Incidents of the Voyage, from the Straits of Magellan to New Albion._
The 6th September, they reached the western extremity of the straits,
and entered into the great South Sea or Pacific Ocean. On the 7th, the
fleet encountered a storm, by which they were driven one degree to the
southwards of the straits, and more than 200 leagues in longitude back
from that entrance.[25] They were driven even so far as the lat. of 57 deg.
20' S. where they anchored among the islands, finding good fresh water
and excellent herbs.[26] Not far from thence, they entered another bay,
where they found naked people, ranging about the islands in canoes, in
search of provisions, with whom they had some intercourse by way of
barter. Continuin
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