» 795-
March.
ucfJay 24.
wind was ftill at x. N. v., with fair and plcafant weather ; the thermometer from 66 to 08, and the variation of the compafs 13° 42' eaflwardly. Having now got to the northward of ^^dparaifo, our courfe was fo ordered as to preferve that fituation. This however proved to be a very unneceffary precaution, as towanls midnight, in latitude 32° 51', the wind, after becoming liglu and variable, was fucceeded by a frefli breeze at fouth, that fcemcd to be equally fteady and fixed in its dire6lion as the northerly wind had been before; fo that we had now again to haul to the fouthward, in order that we miglit keep to windward of our port.
On tuefday forenoon we gained a diftant view of the lofty coafl of Chili to the eaflward. The obferved latitude at noon was 32° 53' fouth. The land at this time was too far off to diftinguidi any of its particular parts. The wind blew frefli from the fouth, with which we made great progrefs towards the land, and by fun-fet the fhores were diflinftly feen to extend by compafs from n. 50 e. to s. 68 e., about 10 leagues diftant. In this point of view, the fea coafl appeared to be comoofed of hills of various fhapes and fizes confiderably elevated; behind thefe the interior country rofe to a very lofty range of ftupendous mountains wrapped in perpetual fnow. Thefe were the Andes, and when firfl feen, which was fhortly after noon, were at the diftance, I fhould imagine, of nearly 40 leagues; but we had not an opportunity of making the neceffary obfervations for afcertaining that faft. We continued to ftand in fhore until ten at night, when, concluding we were within 3 or 4 leagues of the land, we tacked and flood to the w. s. V. under as much fail as we could venture to carry, for the purpofe of fetching, if poffible, to windward of Valparaifo.
At two o'clock on wednefday morning we again flood in for the land, Wedncf. 2-. which was very indillinftly feen, owing to a denfe haze in which it was enveloped. The wind at s. s. e. was light, and it was not until about ten in the forenoon that we were in with the fhores ; on which there was no one circumflance that could indicate our being in the neighbourhood of Valparaifo, nor point out whether we were to the north or fouth of that port, excepting our own reckoning, which fhewed it to be in the former direftion.
