As we advanced to the southward, the appetites of our people increased with the cold, which occasioned disputes in the ship.  Even at my own table, Captain Betagh of the marines insisted on a larger allowance in such coarse terms, that I confined him till he wrote me a submissive letter, on which I restored him.  But this squabble constrained me to allow an extraordinary meal to the people daily, either of flour or calavances; which reduced our stock of provisions, and consumed our wood and water, proving afterwards of great inconvenience.  Whales, grampuses, and other fish of monstrous size, are in such vast numbers on the coast of Patagonia, that they were often offensive to us, coming so close to us that it seemed impossible to avoid striking them on every scud of a sea, and almost stifling us with the stench of their breaths, when they blew close to windward.  Being ignorant of the Greenland fishery, I cannot pretend to say whether that trade might not be carried on here; but this I may venture to affirm, that the navigation here is safer, and I am apt to believe it has a greater chance of being successful.[256]

[Footnote 256:  This southern whale-fishery is now carried on to a considerable extent.—­E.]

On the 19th September, about midnight, perceiving the water all at once to be discoloured, we sounded, and had 25 fathoms, on which we stood out from the land, but did not deepen our water in five leagues.  This bank must lie very near the entrance into the Straits of Magellan.  On this bank we saw great numbers of blubbers, appearing like the tops of umbrellas, curiously streaked with all sorts of colours, being an entirely different species from any I had ever seen before.  We now steered for the Straits of Le Maire, and met with very foggy weather on approaching the coast of Terra del Fuego.  The fog cleared up on the 23d September, when we had sight of stupendous mountains on that southern land, entirely covered with snow.  The nearest point of land was at least eight leagues from us, in the S.W. but before we could ascertain our situation the mist returned.  At four next morning, proceeding under easy sail to the S.E. it proved very clear at day-break, and I found we had fallen in with the land about five leagues N.W. from the straits of Le Maire.  We had now a full, but melancholy prospect of the most desolate country that can well be conceived, appearing a congeries of chains of mountains in succession, one behind the other, perpetually cloathed in snow.

Hitherto we had not been sensible of any current, either favourable or adverse, after getting to the south of the Rio Plata.  But this afternoon we were hurried with incredible rapidity into the straits of Le Maire; and when we had gained about the middle of the passage, the tide slackened.  On sounding we had twenty-seven fathoms on a rocky bottom.  We had a dear view of Staten-land, which yields a most uncomfortable prospect of a surprising height,