Continuing to range the coast, at about two leagues distance, at eleven o’clock we passed a projecting point, which I called Cape Gloucester.  It shews a round surface of considerable height, and has much the appearance of being an island.  It lies S.S.E. 1/2 E. distant seventeen leagues from the isle of Landfall.  The coast between them forms two bays, strewed with rocky islets, rocks, and breakers.  The coast appeared very broken with many inlets; or rather it seemed to be composed of a number of islands.  The land is very mountainous, rocky, and barren, spotted here and there with tufts of wood, and patches of snow.  At noon Cape Gloucester bore north, distant eight miles, and the most advanced point of land to the S.E., which we judged to be Cape Noir, bore S.E. by S., distant seven or eight leagues.  Latitude observed 54 deg. 13’ S. Longitude, made from Cape Deseada, 54’ E. From Cape Gloucester, off which lies a small rocky island, the direction of the coast is nearly S.E.; but to Cape Noir, for which we steered, the course is S.S.E., distant about ten leagues.

At three o’clock we passed Cape Noir, which is a steep rock of considerable height, and the S.W. point of a large island that seemed to lie detached, a league, or a league and a half, from the main land.  The land of the cape, when at a distance from it, appeared to be an island disjoined from the other; but, on a nearer approach, we found it connected by a low neck of land.  At the point of the cape are two rocks; the one peaked like a sugar-loaf, the other not so high, and shewing a rounder surface; and S. by E., two leagues from the cape, are two other rocky islets.  This cape is situated in the latitude of 54 deg. 30’ S., longitude 73 deg. 33’ W.

After passing the two islets, we steered E.S.E., crossing the great bay of St Barbara.  We but just saw the land in the bottom of it, which could not be less than seven or eight leagues from us.  There was a space, lying in the direction of E.N.E. from Cape Noir, where no land was to be seen:  this may be the channel of St Barbara, which opens into the straits of Magalhaens, as mentioned by Frezier.  We found the cape to agree very well with his description, which shews that he laid down the channel from good memoirs.  At ten o’clock, drawing near the S.E. point of the bay, which, lies nearly in the direction of S. 60 deg.  E. from Cape Noir, eighteen leagues distant, we shortened sail, and spent the night standing off and on.

At two o’clock in the morning of the 19th, having made sail, we steered S.E. by E. along the coast, and soon passed the S.E. point of the bay of St Barbara, which I called Cape Desolation, because near it commenced the most desolate and barren country I ever saw.  It is situated in the latitude of 54 deg. 55’ S., longitude 72 deg. 12’ W. About four leagues to the east of this cape is a deep inlet, at the entrance of which lies a pretty large island, and some others of less note.  Nearly in this situation some charts place a channel leading into the straits of Magalhaens, under the name of straits of Jelouzel.  At ten o’clock, being about a league and a half from the land, we sounded, and found sixty fathoms water, a bottom of small stones and shells.