[Footnote 167: This is particularly related in our account of Cook's voyage, vol. xii. p. 397.]--E.]
On the following day, a greater storm came on than had been yet experienced. The sea ran mountains high in the channel, and often exhibited waves striking in contrary directions against each other. A clap of thunder was heard at noon, the only one they had ever noticed in this strait, and it seemed to be a signal for an increased violence of the wind. They dragged their anchor in the storm, and were obliged to let go the sheet-anchor, and to strike their lower yards and top-masts. Some intervals between the bad weather occurred on the 18th and 19th, and allowed them, among other things, to send the Etoile's barge, which was in peculiar good condition, to view the channel of Sainte Barbe, about which, however, his information was so scanty and apparently incorrect, at least imperfect, as to prove of little utility in his present situation. This he the more regretted, as, in his opinion, the perfect knowledge of it would have considerably shortened the passage of the straits. It requires little time, he remarks, to get to Port Gallant, the chief difficulty being to double Cape Forward, which, he says, is rendered easier by the discovery he made of three ports on the Terra del Fuego side; and when once that port is gained, even though the winds should prevent a vessel taking the ordinary course, this channel is open, and may be gone through in twenty-four hours, so as to reach the South Sea. He could not perfectly demonstrate the truth of this opinion he entertained, as the bad weather prevented the examination of some points as he had projected.
The storm and bad weather continued with little intermission till the 24th, when a calm and some sun-shine induced him to make another attempt to proceed. Since re-entering Port Gallant, he had taken in several tons of ballast, and altered his stowage, by which he succeeded in getting the frigate to sail better than it did before. On the whole, however, he remarks, it will always be found very difficult to manage so long a vessel as a frigate usually is, in the midst of currents. Captain Cook, perhaps, had contemplated such a difficulty, when he assigned his reasons for preferring a vessel like the Endeavour, for the purposes of discovery.
On the 25th, at one in the morning, they unmoored, weighed at three, the breeze being northerly, but settling in the east at half-past five, when they got top-gallant and studding-sails set, a circumstance somewhat unusual in this navigation. They kept the middle of the strait, following the windings of what Narborough justly calls Crooked Reach. The coast runs W.N.W. for about two leagues from Bay Elizabeth, when you reach the Bachelor river of that navigator. This is easily known; it comes from a deep valley, having a high mountain on the west, the most westerly point of which is low and wooded, and the coast is sandy. Bougainville reckons three leagues from this river to the entrance of St Jerome's channel, or the False Strait as others have called it, and the bearing is N.W. by W. This channel, the entrance of which is said to be about half a league broad, may be easily mistaken for the true one, as it is admitted, happened at first on the present occasion. In order to avoid it, Bougainville advises to keep the coast of Louis le Grand Island on board, which may be done, he says, without danger. He himself ran within a mile of the shore of this island, which is about four leagues long, and the north side of which runs W.N.W., as far as Bay Dauphine. At noon this day, Cape Quade (or Quod) which is about four leagues from St Jerome's channel, bore W. 13° S. two leagues distant, and Cape St Louis, E. by N. about two leagues and a half. The weather continued fair, and they had the advantage of all their sails being set.
The strait runs W.N.W. and N.W. by W. from Cape Quade, and being without any considerable turnings, has obtained the name of Long-Reach. The cape consists of craggy rocks, resembling some ancient ruins, and the coast, up to it is wooded, the verdure of the trees contrasting finely with the frozen and snowy summits of the neighbouring mountains; but after doubling this point, the nature of the country is said to be very different, presenting scarcely any thing but barren rocks, the intervals of which are filled up with immense masses of no less unfriendly ice, altogether meriting the name which Narborough bestowed on it in the penury of his feelings, the Desolation of the South. Opposite this cape, and about fifteen leagues off, is Cape Monday on the Terra del Fuego side, which, with other remarkable points of this strait, we have elsewhere described. Bougainville was tempted by the fineness of the weather to continue his course in this strait during the night, but the excessive rain and wind which came on about ten o'clock, made him repent his temerity, and rendered his situation betwixt two shores, which it required the greatest caution and continual activity to avoid, one of the most critical and unpleasant he experienced during the voyage. The dawn of the following day, gave them sight of the land, which for some hours they had been groping against in the utmost fear of collision; and about noon, they descried Cape Pillar, the termination of this perilous strait, beyond which, there beamed on their joyful eyes an immense horizon and an unspotted sea.
Fifty-two days were elapsed since they left Cape Virgin, the half of which had been spent in inactive but painful suffering at Port Gallant. Bougainville reckons the length of the strait at about one-hundred and fourteen leagues, viz. from Cape Virgin Mary to Cape Pillar; and in his opinion, notwithstanding the difficulties of the passage, it is to be preferred to doubling Cape Horn, especially in the period from September to the end of March. His reasons for this opinion, and the concurrent and contrary sentiments of other navigators, have been either already stated, or will require to be so hereafter, and need not now interrupt our prosecution of the remainder of his voyage.
A few days after entering the Western Sea, the wind got S. and S.S.W. This was sooner than Bougainville expected, as it was thought the west winds generally lasted to about 30°, and obliged him to lay aside his intention of going to the isle of Juan Fernandez, as the doing so would necessarily prolong his voyage. He stood, therefore, as much as possible to the west, in order to keep the wind, and to get off the coast; and with a view to discover a greater space of the ocean, he directed the commander of the Etoile to go every morning southward as far from him as the weather would permit, keeping in sight, and to join, him in the evening, and follow in his wake at about half a league's distance. This it was hoped would both facilitate examination, and secure mutual assistance, and was the order of sailing preserved throughout the voyage.
He now directed his course in search of the land seen by Davis in 1686, between 27° and 28° south latitude, and sought for in vain by Roggewein. This search, however, was equally fruitless, though Bougainville crossed the position laid down for it in M. de Bellin's chart. His conclusion, in consequence, is, that the land spoken of by Davis was no other than the isles of St Ambrose and St Felix, which are about two hundred leagues off the coast of Chili. Westerly winds came on about the 23d of February, and lasted to the 3d of March, the weather varying much, but almost every day bringing rain about noon, accompanied with thunder. This seemed strange to Bougainville, as this ocean under the tropic had always been renowned for the uniformity and freshness of the E. and S.E. trade-winds, supposed to last throughout the year. In the month of February, four astronomical observations were made for determining the longitude. The first, made on the 6th, differed 31' from the reckoning, the latter being to the westward. The second, on the 11th, differed 37' 45", in the opposite direction. By the third, made on the 22d, the reckoning was 42' 30", westward in excess; and that of the 27th shewed a difference of 1' 25" in the same line. At this time they had calms and contrary winds. The thermometer, till they came to 45° latitude, had always kept between 5° and 8° above the freezing point; after that, it rose successively, and when they were between 27° and 24° latitude, varied upwards a good deal. A sore throat prevailed among the crew of the frigate ever since leaving the straits, and was attributed, whether justly or not, to the snow waters they had been in the habit of using there. It was not, however, very obstinate, readily yielding to simple remedies; and at the end of March, it is said, there was no body on the sick list.
On the 21st of this month, a tunny was caught with some little fish, not yet digested in its belly, which are noticed never to go any great distance from the shore. This accordingly was held as an indication of land being near, and indeed a just one, in the present instance; for about six in the morning of the next day, they got sight of four little isles at one time, bearing S.S.E. 1/2 E., and of another about four leagues west. The former, Bougainville called les quatre Facardins, but being too far to windward for him at present, he preferred standing for the single one a-head. On approaching this, it was discovered to be surrounded with a very level sand, and to have all its interior parts covered with thick woods surmounted by cocoa-trees. So delightful an appearance as it presented, lost none of its charms in the eyes of men who longed for the refreshments of dry land and the vegetable world. But their desires must have consumed them, had this been the only shore which could gratify them. It was found impossible to land on it, or to obtain the advantages which it seemed to hold out to their hopes. Bougainville bestowed on it the name of Isle des Lanciers, from the circumstance of his noticing about fifteen or twenty of its inhabitants carrying very long pikes, as in the act of brandishing them against the ship, with signs of threatening. After this idle display of courage, they were seen to retire to the woods, where it was possible to distinguish their huts by means of glasses. The men are represented as being tall, and of a bronze colour, and destitute of clothing.
In the night of the 22d, a storm came on attended with thunder and rain, which obliged Bougainville to bring to, for fear of running against some of the lowlands in this sea. At day-break on the following day, land was seen bearing from N.E. by N. to N.N.W., which he stood for; at eight o'clock, he got about three leagues from its eastermost point; but then perceiving that there were breakers all along the opposite coast, which seemed low and covered with trees, he stood out to sea again, waiting for fairer weather to permit a nearer approach. This was done towards ten o'clock, when the island was not more than a league off. Similar difficulties, however, were experienced here, as at the former island; and after several fruitless attempts to find anchorage for the ships, or a landing-place for the boats, it was necessary to abandon it, which was done with similar feelings of chagrin on the morning of the 24th. This island was denominated Harp Island, from its figure, and had inhabitants much resembling those of the one which had been previously discovered. At five in the afternoon of this day, an island was discovered about seven or eight leagues distant; another, in the morning of the 25th, extending S.E. and N.W.; and the course was continued till the 27th, between several low and partly overflowed islands, four of which were examined and found quite inaccessible, or undeserving of being visited. To the whole cluster, Bougainville gave the name of Dangerous Archipelago, by which they have been generally known since his day, and which sufficiently indicates the nature of the navigation around them.