nd
one to the fore shrouds, in the place of those which had been broken in
the squall during the night. This was another occasion on which it was
impossible not to regret the want of a forge and iron.

The gale continued in this direction till eight in the morning of the
7th, when it returned to the N.W. with unsettled weather. On the 8th, it
came to south, and this was a fine day, the first we had seen after our
leaving the Streight of Magellan. Our latitude at noon was 36 deg.39'S. and
we were about five degrees to the westward of Cape Pillar. The next day
we made the island of Masafuero, and on the 10th, the island of Juan
Fernandes: In the afternoon we got close to the eastermost part of it,
and soon after hauled round the north end, and opened Cumberland Bay. As
I did not know that the Spaniards had fortified this island, I was
greatly surprised to see a considerable number of men about the beach,
with a house and four pieces of cannon near the water-side, and a fort
about three hundred yards farther from the sea, just upon the rising of
the hill, with Spanish colours flying on the top of it. This fort, which
is faced with stone, has eighteen or twenty embrasures, and within it a
long house, which I supposed to be barracks for the garrison:
Five-and-twenty or thirty houses of different kinds are scattered round
it, and we saw much cattle feeding on the brow of the hills, which
seemed to be cultivated, as many spots were divided by enclosures from
each other; we saw also two large boats lying, on the beach. The gusts
of wind which came right out of this bay, prevented my going so near as
I intended, for they were so violent as to oblige us many times to let
fly our top-sail sheets, though the sails were close reefed; and I think
it is impossible to work a ship into this bay when the wind blows hard
from the southward. As we stood cross the bay to the westward, one of
the boats put off from the shore, and rowed towards us; but perceiving
that the gusts or flaws made us lie at a considerable distance from the
land, she went in again. We then opened West Bay, on the east part of
which, close to the sea side, is a small house, which I took for a
guard-house, and two pieces of cannon mounted upon their carriages,
without any works about them. We now wore, and stood again for
Cumberland Bay, but as soon as we opened it, the boat again put off, and
made towards us: As the hard gusts would not permit us to come any
nearer t