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a part of the Main or an Island, was three Islands, which I take to be Hermites. at Noon the South point of the Southermost Island bore NWbW. dist 3 Lg's having then 55 fa.m peble[sic] Stones, this point is pretty high & consists of Peaked Craggy rocks & not far from it lay several others high above Water, it lies in the Latitude of 55.53 S.° & SW 26 Leagues from Straits La Mair, & by some onboard thought to be Cape Horn, but I was of another Opinion & with good reason because we saw land to the Southward of it about 3 or 4 Leag.s it appeared not unlike an Island with a very high round Hummock upon it this I believe to be Cape Horn for after we had stood about 3 Leagues the wea.r clear'd up for about ¼ of an hour, which gave us a sight of the land bearing WSW but we could see no land to the Southward or Westward of it, & therefore Conclude that it must be the Cape but whether it be an Island of it self, a
[note left margin] Cape Horn - part of the Southermost of Hermite Island or a part of Terra del Fuego, I am not able to determine however this is of very Little Consequence to Navigation. I only wished to have been Certain whether or no it was the Southermost Land on or near to Terra del Fuego, but the thick foggy wea.r & the Westerly winds which carried us from the Land prevented me from Satisfying my Curiosity in this point, but from its Latitude & the reasons before given I think it must, & if so it must be Cape Horn & lies in the Latitude of 55.53 S.º & Long.de 68º.13' from the Meridian of Greenwich, being the Mean result of Several Observations of the Sun & Moon made the day after we left the land & which agreed with those made at Straits Le Mair allowing for the distance between one place & the other which I found means very accurately to determine, as we are now about taking our departure from the Land which we are not likely to fall in with again. I shall give a more full Discription of such parts of the Coasts of Terra del Fuego as hath fallen under my inspection.~
[note left margin] Discription of the Coast of Terra del Fuego. -
We fell in with this Coast 21 Leagues to the Westward of Straits Le Mair & ranged the coast from thence to the Strait within 2 or 3 Leagues of the Land, & had soundings all the way from 40 to 20 fa.m a Gravelly & Sandy Bottom, the land near the Shore is in general low but hilly the face of the Country appears Green & Woody but in Land are Craggy Mountains they appear'd to be of no very great height nor yet were they Cover'd with Snow The most remarkable land on Terra Del Fuego is a high Mountain in form of a Sugar Loaf situated not far from the Sea on the SW side of the Land, & 3 Hills Called the 3 Brothers they lay near the Shore, & [space] Miles to the Westward of Cape St Diego, which is a low Point that forms the NW.t Entrance of Strait Le Mair & are Contiguous to Each other the Sugar Loaf lies from these Hills SSW and when it was in this situation the Appearances of the Land it represented in the first View in the Chart, but it must be observed that from this point of View the three Brothers appear far more Conspicuous than from any other, these land Marks are by some Voyagers thought very necessary to know Strait Le Mair by, but whoever coasts Terra Del Fuego within sight of land, cannot possibly miss this Strait, it being of its self so very Conspicuous, and Staten Land which forms the E.t side is still more so from its very rugged appearance, one League & a half to the Westward of Cape S.t Diego lies Cape S.t Vincent, between these two Capes lies Vincents Bay, a Small Cove wherein is Wood & Water, & before which a Ship might Anchor with a Southerly or SW. wind, but the ground is none of the best unless you go into the very Mouth of the very Cove which is on the East side of the First Bluff point from Cape S.t Vincents where there is Anchorage in 4 fa.m a Sandy Bottom, in going in Keep clear of the Sea Weed & first send a Boat a Head to sound, And at best this is but a bad place for Shipping & only recommended to such as are in want of Wood & Water, & have no Opp.y to put into the Strait, which in Prudence ought not to be attempted but with a fair Wind or Moderate weather, & upon the very first of the tide of Flood which hapens here at the full & Change of the Moon about 1 or 2 o'Clock, & then to keep as near to Terra Del Fuego