blew the water in upon the quarter-deck; they were much larger than any
we had seen. As we were standing in for Port Desire, we saw the Florida,
a store-ship that we expected from England; and at four we came to an
anchor off the harbour's mouth.

The next morning, Mr Dean, the master of the store-ship, came on board;
and finding from his report that his foremast was sprung, and his ship
little better than a wreck, I determined to go into the harbour, and try
to unload her there, although the narrowness of the place, and the
rapidity of the tides, render it a very dangerous situation. We got in
in the evening, but it blowing very hard in the night, both the Tamar
and the store-ship made signals of distress; I immediately sent my boats
to their assistance, who found that; notwithstanding they were moored,
they had been driven up the harbour, and were in the greatest danger of
being on shore. They were brought back, not without great difficulty,
and the very next night they drove again, and were again saved by the
same efforts, from the same danger. As I now found that the store-ship
was continually driving about the harbour, and every moment in danger of
being lost, I gave up, with whatever reluctance, my design of taking the
provisions out of her, and sent all our carpenters on board, to fish the
mast, and make such other repairs as they could. I also lent her my
forge to complete such iron-work as they wanted, and determined, the
moment she was in a condition to put to sea, to take her with us into
the strait of Magellan, and unload her there. While this was doing,
Captain Mouat, who commanded the Tamar, informed me that his rudder was
sprung, and that he had reason to fear it would in a short time become
wholly unserviceable. Upon this I ordered the carpenter of the Dolphin
on board the Tamar, to examine the rudder, and he reported it to be so
bad, that in his opinion the vessel could not proceed on her voyage
without a new one. A new one, however, it was not in our power to