ition, had lost him the affection of
most of the crew and of all the passengers: he knew it, and in
consequence sought every opportunity to mortify us. It is true that the
passengers had some reason to reproach themselves; they were not free
from blame; but he had been the aggressor; and nothing could excuse the
act of cruelty and barbarity of which he was guilty, in intending to
leave us upon those barren rocks of the Falkland isles, where we must
inevitably have perished. This lot was reserved for us, but for the bold
interference of Mr. B. Stuart, whose uncle was of our party, and who,
seeing that the captain, far from waiting for us, coolly continued his
course, threatened to blow his brains out unless he hove to and took us
on board.

[Illustration: VIEW OF THE FALKLAND ISLANDS
_Boat and five passengers pulling after Ship Tonquin._]

We pursued our course, bearing S.S.W., and on the 14th, in latitude 54 deg.
1', longitude 64 deg. 18', we found bottom at sixty-five fathoms, and saw a
sail to the south. On the 15th, in the morning, we discovered before us
the high mountains of _Terra del fuego_, which we continued to see till
evening: the weather then thickened, and we lost sight of them. We
encountered a furious storm which drove us to the 56th degree and 18' of
latitude. On the 18th, we were only fifteen leagues from Cape Horn. A
dead calm followed, but the current carried us within sight of the cape,
five or six leagues distant. This cape, which forms the southern
extremity of the American continent, has always been an object of terror
to the navigators who have to pass from one sea to the other; several of
whom to avoid doubling it, have exposed themselves to the long and
dangerous passage of the straits of Magellan, especially when about
entering the Pacific ocean. When we saw ourselves under the stupendous
rocks of the cape, we felt no other desire but to get away from them as
soon as possible, so little agreeable were those rocks to the view, even
in the case of people who had been some months at sea! And by the help
of a land breeze we succeeded in gaining an offing. While becalmed here,
we measured the velocity of the current setting east, which we found to
be about three miles an hour.

The wind soon changed again to the S.S.W., and blew a gale. We had to
beat. We passed in sight of the islands of Diego Ramirez, and saw a
large schooner under their lee. The distance that we had run from New
York, was abo