Fifty-two days were elapsed since they left Cape Virgin, the half of which had been spent in inactive but painful suffering at Port Gallant.  Bougainville reckons the length of the strait at about one-hundred and fourteen leagues, viz. from Cape Virgin Mary to Cape Pillar; and in his opinion, notwithstanding the difficulties of the passage, it is to be preferred to doubling Cape Horn, especially in the period from September to the end of March.  His reasons for this opinion, and the concurrent and contrary sentiments of other navigators, have been either already stated, or will require to be so hereafter, and need not now interrupt our prosecution of the remainder of his voyage.

A few days after entering the Western Sea, the wind got S. and S.S.W.  This was sooner than Bougainville expected, as it was thought the west winds generally lasted to about 30 deg., and obliged him to lay aside his intention of going to the isle of Juan Fernandez, as the doing so would necessarily prolong his voyage.  He stood, therefore, as much as possible to the west, in order to keep the wind, and to get off the coast; and with a view to discover a greater space of the ocean, he directed the commander of the Etoile to go every morning southward as far from him as the weather would permit, keeping in sight, and to join, him in the evening, and follow in his wake at about half a league’s distance.  This it was hoped would both facilitate examination, and secure mutual assistance, and was the order of sailing preserved throughout the voyage.

He now directed his course in search of the land seen by Davis in 1686, between 27 deg. and 28 deg. south latitude, and sought for in vain by Roggewein.  This search, however, was equally fruitless, though Bougainville crossed the position laid down for it in M. de Bellin’s chart.  His conclusion, in consequence, is, that the land spoken of by Davis was no other than the isles of St Ambrose and St Felix, which are about two hundred leagues off the coast of Chili.  Westerly winds came on about the 23d of February, and lasted to the 3d of March, the weather varying much, but almost every day bringing rain about noon, accompanied with thunder.  This seemed strange to Bougainville, as this ocean under the tropic had always been renowned for the uniformity and freshness of the E. and S.E. trade-winds, supposed to last throughout the year.  In the month of February, four astronomical observations were made for determining the longitude.  The first, made on the 6th, differed 31’ from the reckoning, the latter being to the westward.  The second, on the 11th, differed 37’ 45”, in the opposite direction.  By the third, made on the 22d, the reckoning was 42’ 30”, westward in excess; and that of the 27th shewed a difference of 1’ 25” in the same line.  At this time they had calms and contrary winds.  The thermometer, till they came to 45 deg. latitude, had always kept between 5 deg. and 8 deg. above the freezing point; after that, it rose successively, and when they were between 27 deg. and 24 deg. latitude, varied upwards a good deal.  A sore throat prevailed among the crew of the frigate ever since leaving the straits, and was attributed, whether justly or not, to the snow waters they had been in the habit of using there.  It was not, however, very obstinate, readily yielding to simple remedies; and at the end of March, it is said, there was no body on the sick list.