Monday the 11th, at four this morning weighed, and came to sail, steering along shore N.E. by E. This is a pleasant and delightful country to sail by: We kept within a mile of the shore; we saw horses and large dogs in great numbers, the shore being perfectly covered with them. At noon I had a good observation in the latitude of 38: 40 S. At the same time a-head land, which I took for Cape St Andrew's; it is a long sandy point, very low, where a shoal runs off S.E. about three leagues. Sounded, and had but two fathom and half at high-water. When we got clear of this, we steered N.E. into a sandy bay, and anchored there in three fathom and half, fine sand; the north point bore N.N.W., the south point S.E. by E. Here is a great swell, and shoal water. This bay we call Shoalwater Bay.
Tuesday the 12th, lying in Shoalwater Bay, the wind at S.E. and fair weather. Having nothing on board the vessel to eat, and but one cask of water to drink, we put her in as nigh as we could venture; so that any person who had the least skill in swimming, might get ashore: Here runs a pretty large surf, which may endanger our vessel; this puts us to a stand: To go from hence without meat or drink is certain death. A few of the healthiest were resolved to swim on shore, to get water and provisions; the officers, viz. the boatswain, carpenter, and Lieutenant E----rs, to animate the rest, first leaped into the water; eleven of the people followed them; in this attempt one of the marines was unfortunately drowned: We tossed overboard four quarter-casks to fill with water; lashing to the cask two fire-locks on each side, with ammunition for shooting. When the officers and people got on shore, they saw thousands of horses and dogs; the dogs are of a mongril breed, and very large. They also saw abundance of parrots and seals on the rocks, but not a bush growing on the place; they made a fire with horse dung, and shot a great many seal, which they cut up in quarters to bring aboard. One of the water-casks being leaky, they cut it up, and converted it into fuel to dress the seal. They caught four armadilloes, they are much larger than our hedge-hogs, and very like them; their bodies are cased all over with shells, shutting under one another like shells of armour. In this country thirteen of his majesty's British subjects put to flight a thousand Spanish horse. Horses are more numerous here, than sheep are on the plains in Dorset and Wiltshire. We on board see abundance of seal lying on the shore cut in pieces, but the wind blows so hard we can by no means get at it. We think ourselves now worse off than ever, for we are actually starving in the sight of plenty. We have but two people on board that can swim; to give them all the assistance we can, the lieutenant and myself, with the rest of the people, proposed to haul the vessel nearer in, and make a raft for one of the two to swim ashore on, and to carry a line to haul some of the seal aboard: With much entreaty these two swimmers were prevailed on to cast lots; the lot falling on the weakest of 'em, who was a young lad about fifteen years of age, and scarce able to stand, we would not suffer him to go. While our brethren were regaling in the fulness of plenty ashore, we aboard were obliged to strip the hatches of a seal-skin, which has been for some time nailed on, and made use of for a tarpawlin; we burnt the hair off the skin, and for want of any thing else fell to chewing the seal-skin.
Wednesday the 13th, fine weather and calm. At six this morning the boatswain shot a horse, and the people a wild dog. The horse was branded on the left buttock with these letters A.R. By this we conjecture there are inhabitants not far off. At nine veered the boat in, lashed the oars to the hatches, and made a stage to haul up the seal. The people swam off three casks of water, sent on shore one quarter-cask more, and two breakers. Came aboard the boatswain, carpenter, and Lieutenant E----rs, and four men more are getting the seal and the horse on board, which was no sooner in the vessel than a sea-breeze came in, and blowed so hard, that we were obliged to weigh, leaving ashore one quarter-cask, two breakers, and eight of the people. The wind at E.S.E. and a tumbling sea, came to an anchor about a league off the shore; we shared all the provisions among the company; we still see the people ashore, but can't get them off.
Thursday the 14th, hard gales at E.S.E. and fair weather. Last night the sea was so great, that it broke the rudder-head off; we were doubtful every moment of the vessel's parting, which if she had, we must have been all of us inevitably lost. We were obliged to put to sea, not being able to get the people off. We sent ashore in a scuttled puncheon some wearing apparel, four muskets, with balls, powder, flints, candles, and several necessaries, and also a letter to acquaint them of the danger we were in, and of the impossibility of our riding it out till they could get off.
In Freshwater Bay, dated on board the Speedwell schooner, on the coast of South America, in the latitude of 37: 25 S. longitude from the meridian of London, 65: 00 W. this 14th day of January, 1741-2.
"These are to certify the right honourable the lords commissioners for executing the office of lord high admiral of Great Britain, etc. That we, whose names are undermentioned, having nothing left on board the vessel but one quarter-cask of water, were obliged to put into the first place we could for subsistence, which, was in Freshwater-Bay; where we came to an anchor, as near the shore as we could, without endangering the vessel, having no boat aboard, and a large surf on the shore, therefore Mr King the boatswain, Mr Cummins the carpenter, and Lieutenant Ewers, with eleven of the people, jumped overboard, in order to swim ashore, with three casks of water, in which attempt James Greenham was drowned in the surf off the shore: The sea-breeze coming on, prevented the people getting on board the same night; therefore, on Wednesday morning, it being then calm, they brought to the beach the casks filled with water, with seal and other provisions in great quantities, which we hauled on board. The boatswain, carpenter, Lieutenant Ewers, and three of the people, swam off, but the sea-breeze coming in, and the surf rising, the rest were discouraged from coming off; we hauled a good birth off the shore, where we lay the remainder of the day, and all the night. The greatness of the sea broke off our rudder-head, and we expected every minute the vessel would founder at her anchor. Thursday morning we saw no probability of the people coming aboard, and the wind coming out of the sea, and not one stick of fire-wood in the vessel to dress our victuals, and it being every man's opinion that we must put to sea or perish, we got up a scuttled cask, and put into it all manner of necessaries, with four small arms lashed to the cask, and a letter to acquaint them of our danger, which cask we saw them receive, as also the letter that was in it; they then fell on their knees, and made signals wishing us well, at which we got under sail, and left our brethren, whose names are under-mentioned,
Sign'd by
Robert Beans, lieutenant
John King, boatswain
John Bulkeley, gunner
Thomas Clark, master
John Cummins, carpenter
Robert Elliot, surgeon's mate
John Jones, master's mate
John Snow, ditto.
The names of the people left on shore in the latitude of 35' 25 S. longitude 65: 00 W.
Names. Where born.
Guy Broadwater, Blackwall.
John Duck, London.
Samuel Cooper, Ipswich.
Benjamin Smith, Southwark.
Joseph Clinch, Ditto.
John Allen, Gosport.
John Andrews, Manchester.
Isaac Morris, Topsham."
Those people had a good prospect of getting provisions, and we believe inhabitants are not far off; they have all necessaries for shooting; we hope to see them again, but at present we leave them to the care of Providence and the wide world. At noon sailed hence, at four in the afternoon could not clear the land, and were obliged to anchor in five fathom, two leagues from the shore, the northmost point of land bore N.E. by N. and the southmost point S. by W. Hard gales at E.N.E. and a great sea. At noon in latitude 38: 00.