ARTICLE LXVII. VOYAGE to the South Sea, and round the World, performed in the Tears 1708, 1709, 1710, and 1711, Containing a Journal of all Memorable Tranfactions during the faid Voyage; the Winds, Currents, and Variations of the Compass; the taking of the Towns of Puna and Guayaquil, and several Prizes, one of which a rich Acapulco Ship. A Defcription of the American Coafts, from Tierra del Fuego in the South to California in the North, (from the Coafting-Pilot, Spanish Manufcript.) An Historical Account of all thofe Coun tries from the best Authors. With a New Map and Defeription of the mighty River of the Amazons. Wherein an Account is given of Mr. Alexander Selkirk, his Manner of Living and Taming fome wild Beafts during the Four Tears and durining Four Months he lived upon the uninhabited Illuftrated Iland of Juan Fernandes. N the Year 1708, feveral Merchants of Bristol fitred our Two Ships, viz. the Duke commanded by Captain Woodes Rogers, and the Dutchess, Captain Stephen Courtney Commander, and Captain Edward Cooke Second Captain, to cruize on the Coafts of Peru and Mexico, in the South-Sea, against the French and Spaniards, and to act jointly, as belonging to the fame Owners. On the ift of Auguft thofe Two Ships failed for Cork, and on the 1ft of September they left that Town, and came into the Harbour of St. Vincent, one of the Ifles of Cape Verd, the 30th of the fame Month. That Island is not inhabited. It affords great Plenty of Guinea-Hens and fome Hogs and Goats. There is in the Woods abundance of large Spiders, as big as a small Wallnut, and their Webs are as ftrong as our common Thread. October 23. The Two Ships failed from the Ifles of Cape Verd to the Ifle of Grande, on the Coaft of Brafil, where they arrived the 20th of November. This Inland, Those Idlands are Eleven in Number, viz. St. 'Antony, St. Vincent, St. Lucy, St. Nicolas, Sal, Bona Vifta, Mayo, Santiago, Fogo, Romes, and Brava: They are not all inhabited. e I fland, which is uninhabited, lies near the Continent,' and is plentifully ftored with Wood and Water. The Town of Angra dos Reys is on the Main about Three Leagues from the Ifland; and tho' it confifts only of Fifty or Sixty Houses, there are in it Two Churches and a Monaftery of Frantifcans. The French Ships, bound for the South-Sea, generally touch here for Wood and Water. Captain Cooke has inferted here a Cut of the River Grande, with the Two Bays formed by it and the Continent. He defcribes feveral Fishes to be found there, and the Shark among others. "That Fifh has Three Rows of "Teeth, and a very tough Skin. It is commonly attended by One or Two fmall Fifhes, called (by the English) Pilot Fishes, which the Shark, tho' never fo hungry, does not devour, because they find out the Prey for him, he being of a very heavy Nature, and when he takes the Bait, cafts "himself on his Back- and thus often feizes Men, as they are swimming, taking off a Limb at a Bite. Tho' extraordinary strong in the Wa"ter, he is foon drown'd, if you play with the Line, "which is eafily done. The Figures of that Fish, and of fome others may be feen in the Book. 66 66 66 66 -- November 30. The Ships departed from the Isle of Grande, and having failed round Tierra del Fuego, fteered their Courfe in the South-Sea along the Continent, and on the ift of February, 1709, arrived at the Ifle of: Juan Fernandes, without having touched any where. That Ifland, which lies off of Chili, is not inhabited. "The Duke's Boat went afhore "and found out Alexander Selkirk, who had been "formerly Mafter of the Cinque-Ports Galley, an "English Privateer in thofe Parts, and having fome "Difference with the Captain of the faid Ship, and "the being leaky, he left the faid Captain Strad"ling, going afhore on this land, where he con"tinued Four Years and Four Months, living on Goats, and Cabbages that grow on Trees, Tur nips, Parfnips, &c. He was cloathed in a Vol. IV. 66 D d "Goat's 66 "Goat's Skin Jacket, Breeches and Cap, fewed together with Thongs of the fame. He tamed fome "wild Goats and Cats, whereof there are grear "Numbers.": Here the Author breaks off the Account of his Voyage, to treat of thofe who have failed round the World, and of others who only failed through the Streights of Magellan and Le Maire. He describes thofe Streights, and the adjacent Countries. In thể next Place, he mentions the juft Distances between all the Ports, Bays, and Creeks on the Coafts of Chili; the Iflands lying along that Country the Shoals, Winds, and Currents, and the Course to be held in failing from one Place to another *. Afterwards he proceeds to give a Defcription of Chili, its Extent, Limits, Soil, Seafons, immenfe Wealth, Fertility, prodigious Mountains, Fifhes, Birds, Beafts, Plants, &c. He mentions the Cuftoms and Manners of the Inhabitants; and fhews when that Country was difcovered, and how it was conquered by the Spaniards. Lastly, The Author mentions the feveral Attempts made by the English and Dutch along the Coafts of Chili, from the firft Expedition by Sir Francis Drake to this prefent Time. This Account, taken from the beft Authors, to which Captain Cooke has added his own Obfervations, muft needs be very acceptable to many Readers, fince they will find in this Book the Subftance of what is only to be found in feveral Writers. I fhall take notice * The Author's Defcription of the South-Sen-Coafts is the more valuable, because it is taken from the Manufcript Coafting Pilots, composed by the ableft Spanife Sailors, and improved by the conftant Practice of about Two Hundred Years. They were found in the Acapulco-Ship taken by Captain Cooke and his Company. notice of fome few Pallages, that are moft proper to be inferred here. Baco Nunez de Balboa, Governor of Darien, was the first European, who travelling over the Ifthmus of America, difcovered the South-Sea, to which he gave that Name, as lying S. of that Part of the Ameri can Continent. That Discovery being made by Land, what remained was to find out a Paffage or Communication between the Two Seas for the Convent ency of Trade. To this end many Attempts have been made by the North-West but they all proved unfuccessful. A Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese, was the firft, who undertook to fail from Europe into the SouthSea. He fet out from Spain with Five Ships the ioth of August 1519, and after many Dangers and great Difficulties, being come to 52 Degrees of South Latitude, found the Paffage, fince called from him the Streights of Magellan. Thofe Srreights are about 110 Leagues in Length, in fome Places wide, and in others not above Half a League in Breadth. He made and being arrived in h's way through. the South-Sea, went on to the Eaft-Indies but he was killed in the little Ifle of Zebu, one of thofe now called the Philippine Inlands. One of his Ships forfook him at Streights and of the other Four, one only, called the V Story, returned into Spain, under the Command of John Sebaftian Cano, being the firft that failed round the World, and came from the South-Sea into Europe. . the of his Name; In the Year' 1539. Alonfo de Camargo failed from Spain with Three Ships for Peru, pafs'd the Streight's with Dd 2 |