as impossible for us to see to the distance of two ships lengths,
and we consequently lost sight of all the squadron. On this a signal
was made, by firing guns, to bring to with the larboard tacks, the
wind being due east. We in the Centurion handed the top-sails, bunted
the main-sail, and lay to under a reefed-mizen till noon, when the
fog dispersed, and we soon discovered all the ships of the squadron,
except the Pearl, which did not join till near a month afterwards.
The Tryal was a great way to leeward, having lost her main-mast in
the squall, and having been obliged to cut away the wreck, for fear of
bilging. We therefore bore down with the squadron to her relief, and
the Gloucester was ordered to take her in tow, as the weather did not
entirely abate till next day, and even then a great swell continued
from the eastward, in consequence of the preceding storm. After this
accident we continued to the southward with little interruption,
finding the same setting of the current we had observed before our
arrival at St Catharines; that is, we generally found ourselves about
twenty miles to the southward of our reckoning by the log every day.
This, with some inequality, lasted till we had passed the latitude of
the Rio Plata, and even then the same current, however difficult to
be accounted for, undoubtedly continued; for we were not satisfied in
attributing this appearance to any error in our reckoning, but tried
it more than once, when a calm rendered it practicable.

Immediately on getting to the south of the latitude of the Rio Plata
we had soundings, which continued all along the coast of Patagonia.
These soundings, when well ascertained, being of great use in
determining the position of a ship on this coast, and as we tried them
more frequently, in greater depths, and with more attention, than I
believe had ever been done before, I shall recite our observations
on this subject as succinctly as I can. In lat. 36 deg. 52' S. we had 60
fathoms on a bottom of fine black and grey sand: From thence to 39 deg.
55' S. we varied our depths from 50 to 80 fathoms, but always with the
same bottom: Between the last-mentioned latitude and 43 deg. 16' S. we had
only fine grey sand with the same variation of depths, except that
we once or twice lessened the water to 40 fathoms. After this we
continued in 40 fathoms for about half a degree, having a bottom of
coarse sand and broken shells, at which time we were in sight of land
at