It is best to anchor a quarter of a mile off shore, in five and six fathoms water, sandy bottom; the west point of the bay bearing west by south, and the east point north east by east. This island is about the same in length as in breadth, and is estimated to be ten miles in diameter. In making the harbour, pass to the southward of the island, when coming from the eastward, by which means a steady fresh breeze of wind will be experienced till quite up with the westerly point of the bay. If a ship attempts to come in to the northward and eastward of the island, she will be most likely to have baffling winds and calms.

In our run to James's Island, we passed between Albermarle, Barrington, Duncan, and Jarvis's Islands, down to James's bay, which is formed on the north west side of James's Island. We saw in this run a number of others, which captain Colnett has not laid down, but all the large ones were on the easterly side of us, and all the small ones lay to the westward of us. The latter lie off the south east end of Albermarle; but did not appear to be dangerous. Indeed we saw no dangers off any of the islands in the whole cluster, that were a quarter of a mile off shore, except the one already described to the north east of Chatham Island. When we were in the narrowest part of the passage, between Albermarle and James's Island, night came on and we had to make short boards through the night. In the morning we found that the current had set us to leeward twelve or fifteen miles, notwithstanding we had beat to windward, during the night, with a good fresh breeze from the southward. We stood into James's bay, where we anchored in seven fathoms, good bottom; and found it to be a good safe harbour, sheltered from all prevailing winds. We likewise found fresh water here. as captain Colnett mentions, which was very good, and filled eighteen or twenty of our butts. We caught plenty of fish; but they were not very good. We also killed some flamingoes and teals, in the salt ponds that lie just within the sand beach, abreast of the anchoring place. We cut a supply of wood between the ponds and the sea, and found it to be the best to burn of any I ever saw.

When we arrived in this bay we found two Spanish brigs riding together by another brig which had been sunk for that purpose. They had all three been cut out of Pisco. They were prizes to the ship Henry of London, commanded by captain William Watson,

who arrived on the 23d of July, from a whaling cruise. I had flattered myself that on the arrival of the Henry, I should have much pleasure in the company of the captain. As the two Spanish brigs were left with only one man, one boy, and a Spanish negro prisoner, I was confident the ship could not be long absent; but when she arrived I was very much disappointed in my anticipations. The captain was, in my opinion, the greatest drunkard, and the most low and mean spirited man, that ever was put in charge of property. Here was one instance of the abuse of powvillian, who made use of it to rob and plunHe had it in contemplation to plunder me,.

er, that was given to der on the high seas.

a

and I have no doubt he would have attempted it, had his officers and crew been willing to have assisted in such an outrage. He found me with only ten men on board my ship, when he came into the bay. Several of them were sick with the scurvy and other complaints. I had buried one but a few days previous, who died of a scorbutic complaint. In this weak and helpless condition he threatened, with other insults, to take away my men as British subjects. He came on board once and demanded my chief officer. I found that I must either let him take him, or have recourse to some very hostile measures. On my telling him, however, that he should take no advantage of me with impunity, although I was in such a disabled state, he did not seem to be disposed to pursue his designs, especially when he found there was some appearance of opposition in the way. The Henry mounted fourteen six pounders, most of which were too light for actual service, and I found her commander to be not of the fighting cast, but one of the blustering sort of men. They left us on the 30th of July, to our great satisfaction. They left captain Anderson late of the Castor and Pollux, of London, who will be hereafter mentioned, and who had been put, with seven of his men, on shore on the weather-head of Albermarle Island to recruit from the scurvy, which they all had very badly. During their stay on shore, a Spanish privateer ship, called the Atlantic, fell in with and captured his, and one more English ship, that was in company. Captain Anderson had no knowledge of his ship, or what had happened to her, at the time he left this bay. He was left there in charge of one of the Henry's Spanish prizes, called the St. Bartholomew. He

fitted and rigged her and left this place, intending to proceed to London by way of Cape Horn.

Whilst we were at James's bay, we examined all the westerly part of the island, and found several good landing places to the southward of where our ship was moored. The direction of the shore is from south to south-south-west. We likewise examined all the north, and part of the easterly side of it, and found good landing in several places; but all very ragged rocky shores. James's bay is, as has been before stated, on the north west side of James's island. There is a small island lying about four miles to the north west of the anchoring ground, by which strangers may know how to find the bay. Before anchoring, run in till abreast the middle of the white sandy beach, and come to in seven fathoms water. This island is nearly seven leagues in length, from north to south, and its breadth about five leagues. The equator passed near its north extreme. The westerly part of it has some soil from two miles to the northward to ten miles to the southward of the anchoring place. Most of the hills and valleys are clothed with trees of a good growth, and in some parts the under wood and shrubbery are sethick, that it is difficult for a person to penetrate them. It may appear strange to some, that land should produce verdure where there is no rain, rivers, or springs, whereby it can be watered; but in this place the dew falls so heavily at some seasons, that it would wet a man's clothes to be out at night, as much as a small rain. All the animals that are found here are the terrapin, (or tortoise,) guanas, of two species, land and sea; snakes, of two or three kinds; and lizards of different sorts. The feathered race is the pelican, which lays its eggs in nests built on trees; flamingoes, and a small kind of albatross which does not lay its eggs in rookeries, but is found here sitting and hatching on the burnt stony ground; gulls, teals, rooks; a small kind of heron, which is in this country vulgarly called shite-poke; the ring dove, and two or three kinds of small sparrows. There are some seals of both the fur and hair kind, and green turtles are found on the beaches.

As it may be gratifying to the reader, I shall give a description of some of the animals that are mentioned above. The terrapin, or as it is sometimes called the land tortoise, that is found bere, is by far the largest, best, and most numerous of any

place I ever visited. Some of the largest weigh three or four hundred pounds; but their common size is between fifty and one hundred pounds. Their shape is somewhat similar to that of our small land tortoise, which is found upon the upland, and is like it high and round on the back. They have a very long neck, which, together with their head, has a very disagreeable appearance, very much resembling a large serpent. I have seen them with necks between two and three feet long, and when they saw any thing that was new to them, or met each other, they would raise their heads as high as they could, their necks being nearly vertical, and advance with their mouths wide open; appearing to be the most spiteful of any reptile whatever. Sometimes two of them would come up to each other in that manner, so near as almost to touch, and stand in that position for two or three minutes, appearing so angry that their mouths, heads, and necks, appeared to quiver with passion; when by the least touch of a stick against their necks or heads, they would shrink back in an instant and draw their necks, heads, and legs into their shells. This is the only quick motion I ever saw them perform. I was put in the same kind of fear that is felt at the sight or near approach of a snake, at the first one I saw, which was very large. I was alone at the time and he stretched himself as high as he could, opened his mouth, and advanced towards me. His body was raised more than a foot from the ground, his head turned forward in the manner of a snake in the act of biting, and raised two feet and a half above its body. I had a musket in my hand at the time, and when he advanced near enough to reach him with it, I held the muzzle out so that he hit his neck against it, at the touch of which, he dropt himself upon the ground and instantly secured all his limbs within his shell. They are perfectly harmless, as much so as any animal I know of, notwithstanding their threatening appearance. They have no teeth, and of course they cannot bite very hard. They take their food into their mouths by the assistance of the sharp edge of the upper and under jaw, which shut together one a little within the other, so as to nip grass, or any flowers, berries, or shrubbery, the only food they eat.

Those who have seen the elephant have seen the exact resemblance of the leg and foot of a terrapin. I have thought that I could discover some faint resemblance to that animal in sagacity.

1801.]

They are very prudent in taking care of themselves and their eggs, and in the manner of securing them in their nests; and I have observed on board my own ship as well as others, that they can easily be taught to go to any place on the deck, which may be wished for them to be constantly kept in. The method to effect this is, by whipping them with a small line when they are out of place, and to take them up and carry them to the place assigned for them; which being repeated a few times will bring them into the practice of going themselves, by being whipped when they are out of their place. They can be taught to eat on board a ship as well as a sheep, or a goat, and will live for a long time if there is proper food provided for them. This I always took care to do The most suitable to when in a place where I could procure it. take on board a ship, is prickly pear-trees, the trunk of which is a soft pithy substance, of a sweetish taste, and full of juice. Sometimes I procured grass for them. Either of theseeing strewed on the quarter deck, the pear-tree being cut fine, would immediately entice them to come from all parts of the deck to it; and they I have would eat in their way as well as any domestic animal. known them live several months without food; but they always in that case grow lighter and their fat diminishes, as common sense teaches, notwithstanding some writers have asserted to the contrary. If food will fatten animals, to go without it will make them lean.

I carried at one time from James's Island three hundred very good terrapins to the island of Massa Fuero; and there landed more than one half of them, after having them sixty days on board my ship. Half of the number landed, died as soon as they took food, This was owing to their stomachs having got so weak and out of tone, that they could not digest it. As soon as they eat any grass after landing, they would froth at the mouth, and appeared to be in a state of insanity, and died in the course of a day or two. This satisfied me that they were in some degree like other animals, and only differed from them by being slower in their motions, and that it takes a longer time to produce an effect upon their system than upon that of other creatures. Those that survived the shock which was occasioned by this sudden transition from total abstinence to that of abundance, soon became tranquil and appeared to be as healthy and as contented with the climate as when they were at