A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 12: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the; Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea; and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
III. PORT FAMINE. At this place, the Spaniards, in the year 1581, built
a town, which they called Phillippeville, and left in it a colony,
consisting of 400 persons. When our celebrated navigator, Cavendish,
arrived here in 1587, he found one of these unhappy wretches, the only
one that remained, upon the beach: They had all perished for want of
subsistence, except twenty-four; twenty-three of these set out for the
river Plata, and were never afterwards heard of. This man, whose name
was Hernando, was brought to England by Cavendish, who called the place
where he had taken him up, Port Famine. It is a very fine bay, in which
there is room and conveniency for many ships to moor in great safety. We
moored in nine fathom, having brought Cape St Anne N.E. by E. and Sedger
River S. 1/2 W. which perhaps is the best situation, though the whole
bay is good ground. In this place there is very good wooding and
watering; we caught many fine small fish with a hook and line off the
ship's side, and hauled the seine with great success, in a fine sandy
bay, a little to the southward of Sedger River: We also shot a great
number of birds, of various kinds, particularly geese, ducks, teal,
snipes, plover, and race-horses, and we found wild celery in great
plenty. The latitude of this place is 53° 42' S., longitude, by
observation, 71° 28' W.: The variation is two points easterly. We
anchored here the 27th of December 1766, and sailed again the 18th of
January 1767.
IV. CAPE HOLLAND BAY. There is no danger in sailing into this bay, and
there is good anchoring ground in every part of it. We lay at about
three cables' length from the shore, in ten fathom, the ground coarse
sand and shells, Cape Holland bearing W.S.W. 1/2 W. distant three miles,
Cape Froward a little to the N. of the E. Right a-breast of the ship
there was a very fine rivulet, and close under Cape Holland a large
river, navigable for boats many miles: The shore also affords fire-wood
in great plenty. We found abundance of wild celery and cranberries,
mussels and limpets, but caught very little fish, either with hook and
line, or the seine. We killed some geese, ducks, teal, and racehorses,
but they were not plenty. This bay lies in latitude 53° 57' S.,
longitude, by account, 72° 34' W.; the variation is two points easterly.
The water rose about eight feet; we found, however, no regular tide, but
for the most part a strong current setting to the eastward. We anchored
here on the 19th of January, and sailed again on the 23d.
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