« 795-
March,
At firft I was at a lofs to difcover, which of the two noticed at noon was Sir Richard's rock, as both are much further from the bay of Valparaifo than he defcribes them to be; but as we advanced, I had no doubt of the moft northern being the " great rock or fmall ifland." This lies up- wards of 3 leagues, in a direftion s.51 w. from the point of Angels, which is the weft point of Valparaifo bay, and is rendered ftill more con- fpicuous for pointing out the port, by being fituated clofe to a very projefting point called by the Spaniards P' Quraumilla, from whence the fhores of the main land to the fouthward take a direction fome degrees to the eaftward of Ibutli, and thofe to the northward, as before ftated, towards Valparaifo. It is alfo the fouth-weftern point of a fpacious open bay bounded by a fandy beach, where anchorage might probably be found, but which muft be much expofed; and as feveral rocks were obferved lying at a very little diftance from the fhore, the chance is that the bottom may be compofed of t^c fame materials. On the north-eaft fide of this bay a houfe and f^me fmaller habitations were feen near it, and the country in its neighboi rhood ap^ ^ared to be Jefs fteril and forbidding than thofe parts to which we were oppofite in the morning. Its furface, though unequal, was lefs broken; and al- though it could not boaft of a luxuriant vegetation, yet the naked, rug- ged precipices, that formed a barrier againft the ocean on each fide of the bay, were no longer the general charafteriftic of the interior coun- try, which prefented a furface of fome (oil, on whofe withered herbage both flocks of fheep and herds of cattle were feen grazing, on the fides of the hills.
Along ihefe ftiores, which feemed to be bold, we pafTed at the diftance of from half a mile to half a league, without difcovering any danger which is not fufficiently confpicuous to be avoided; and, with the aftiftance of a fine foutherly bree:?e, by two in the afternoon we were abreaft of the point of Angels, off" which fome rocks extend to the diftance of about half a cable's length. Thcfe we pafTed at about twice that diftance, without gain- ing foundings. In failing round this point, the country fuddenly opened upon us, and prefented a fcene to which we had long been intire ftrangers ; the whole of the bay was now exhibited to our view terminated by a fandy
