South-East point of Hermites Isles to Cape Horn, the Course is South-West
by South, distance 3 Leagues. The Appearance of this Cape and Hermites
Islands is represented in the last View in the chart which I have drawn
of this Coast from our first making the land unto Cape Horn, in which is
included Strait Le Mair and part of Staten Land. In this chart I have
laid down no land nor figured out any Shore, but what I saw myself and
thus far the Chart may be depended upon. The Bays and inlets are left
voide, the openings of which we only see from the Ship. It cannot be
doubted but what there is Anchorage, Wood and Water in those Bays, and it
must have been in some of them that the Dutch Squadron commanded by
Hermites put into in the year 1624. It was the Vice Admiral Chapenham, of
this Squadron, who first discovered that the land of Cape Horn was
consisted of a Number of Islands, but the account they have given of
those parts is very short and imperfect, and that of Schouton and Le
Maire still worse, that it is no wonder that the Charts hitherto
published should be found incorrect, not only in laying down the Land,
but in the Latitude and Longitude of the places they contain, but I can
now venture to Assert that the Longitude of few parts of the World are
better Ascertained than that of Strait Le Maire and Cape Horn, being
determined by several Observations of the Sun and moon made both by
myself and Mr. Green, the Astronomer.

We found the Variation of the Compass on this Coast to be from 23 to 25
degrees east, except near Barnevelts Islands and Cape Horn, where we
found it less and unsettled; it is likely that it is here disturbed by
the land, as the Dutch Squadron before mentioned found in this very place
all their Compasses to differ from each other. The declination of the
South point of the Dipping Needle when set up ashore in Success Bay was
68 degrees 15 minutes below the horizon. Between Strait Le Maire and Cape
Horn we found a Current setting generally pretty strong to the North-East