Having a steady fresh gale at N.N.W. on the 26th and 27th, we steered east; and at noon on the latter were in latitude 55 deg. 6’ S., longitude 138 deg. 56’ W.

I now gave up all hopes of finding any more land in this ocean, and came to a resolution to steer directly for the west entrance of the Straits of Magalhaeus, with a view of coasting the out, or south side of Terra del Fuego round Cape Horn to the strait Le Maire.  As the world has but a very imperfect knowledge of this shore, I thought the coasting of it would be of more advantage, both to navigation and to geography, than any thing I could expect to find in a higher latitude.  In the afternoon of this day, the wind blew in squalls, and carried away the main top-gallant mast.

A very strong gale northerly, with hazy rainy weather, on the 28th, obliged us to double-reef the fore and main top-sail to hand the mizen top-sail, and get down the fore top-gallant yard.  In the morning, the bolt rope of the main top-sail broke, and occasioned the sail to be split.  I have observed that the ropes to all our sails, the square sails especially, are not of a size and strength sufficient to wear out the canvass.  At noon, latitude 55 deg. 20’ S., longitude 134 deg. 16’ W., a great swell from N.W.:  Albatrosses and blue peterels seen.

Next day towards noon, the wind abating, we loosed all the reefs out of the top-sails, rigged another top-gallant mast, and got the yards across.  P.M. little wind, and hazy weather; at midnight calm, that continued till noon the next day, when a breeze sprung up at east, with which we stretched to the northward.  At this time we were in the latitude 55 deg. 32’ S., longitude 128 deg. 45’ W.; some albatrosses and peterels seen.  At eight, p.m., the wind veering to N.E., we tacked and stood to E.S.E.

On the 1st of December, thick hazy weather, with drizzling rain, and a moderate breeze of wind, which, at three o’clock p.m. fell to a calm; at this time in latitude 55 deg. 41’ S., longitude 127 deg. 5’ W. After four hours calm, the fog cleared away, and we got a wind at S.E. with which we stood N.E.

Next day, a fresh breeze at S.E. and hazy foggy weather, except a few hours in the morning, when we found the variation to be 1 deg. 28’ E. Latitude 55 deg. 17’, longitude 125 deg. 41’ W. The variation after this was supposed to increase; for on the 4th, in the morning, being in latitude 53 deg. 31’, longitude 121 deg. 31’ W., it was 3 deg. 16’ E.; in the evening, in latitude 53 deg. 13’, longitude 119 deg. 46’ W., it was 3 deg. 28’ E.; and on the 5th, at six o’clock in the evening, in latitude 53 deg. 8’, longitude 115 deg. 58’ W., it was 4 deg. 1’ E.

For more than twenty-four hours, having had a fine gale at south, this enabled us to steer east, with very little deviation to the north; and the wind now altering to S.W. and blowing a steady fresh breeze, we continued to steer east, inclining a little to south.