II.  POSSESSION BAY.  In sailing into this bay, it is necessary to give the point a good birth, because there is a reef that runs right off it about a short mile.  The soundings are very irregular all over the bay, but the ground is every where a fine soft mud and clay, so that the cables can come to no damage.  The point lies in latitude 52 deg. 23’ S. longitude, by account, 68 deg. 57’ W.:  The variation is two points easterly.  In the bay the tide rises and falls between four and five fathom, and runs at the rate of about a mile an hour; in the mid-channel without the bay, it runs nearly three miles an hour.  In this place we saw no appearance either of wood or water.  The landing appeared to be good, but we did not go on shore.  We anchored here on the 19th of December, and sailed again on the 22d.

III.  PORT FAMINE.  At this place, the Spaniards, in the year 1581, built a town, which they called Phillippeville, and left in it a colony, consisting of 400 persons.  When our celebrated navigator, Cavendish, arrived here in 1587, he found one of these unhappy wretches, the only one that remained, upon the beach:  They had all perished for want of subsistence, except twenty-four; twenty-three of these set out for the river Plata, and were never afterwards heard of.  This man, whose name was Hernando, was brought to England by Cavendish, who called the place where he had taken him up, Port Famine.  It is a very fine bay, in which there is room and conveniency for many ships to moor in great safety.  We moored in nine fathom, having brought Cape St Anne N.E. by E. and Sedger River S. 1/2 W. which perhaps is the best situation, though the whole bay is good ground.  In this place there is very good wooding and watering; we caught many fine small fish with a hook and line off the ship’s side, and hauled the seine with great success, in a fine sandy bay, a little to the southward of Sedger River:  We also shot a great number of birds, of various kinds, particularly geese, ducks, teal, snipes, plover, and race-horses, and we found wild celery in great plenty.  The latitude of this place is 53 deg. 42’ S., longitude, by observation, 71 deg. 28’ W.:  The variation is two points easterly.  We anchored here the 27th of December 1766, and sailed again the 18th of January 1767.

IV.  CAPE HOLLAND BAY.  There is no danger in sailing into this bay, and there is good anchoring ground in every part of it.  We lay at about three cables’ length from the shore, in ten fathom, the ground coarse sand and shells, Cape Holland bearing W.S.W. 1/2 W. distant three miles, Cape Froward a little to the N. of the E. Right a-breast of the ship there was a very fine rivulet, and close under Cape Holland a large river, navigable for boats many miles:  The shore also affords fire-wood in great plenty.  We found abundance of wild celery and cranberries, mussels and limpets, but caught very little fish, either with hook and line, or the seine.  We killed some geese, ducks, teal, and racehorses, but they were not plenty.  This bay lies in latitude 53 deg. 57’ S., longitude, by account, 72 deg. 34’ W.; the variation is two points easterly.  The water rose about eight feet; we found, however, no regular tide, but for the most part a strong current setting to the eastward.  We anchored here on the 19th of January, and sailed again on the 23d.