FERNANDEZ DE AFUERA, lies in 33° 41' South Latitude, and 81° 40' West Longitude ; and as both islands arc situated so directly in the same latitude, stran gers are apt to mistake the one for the othw; but they may be easily distinguishediby the obvious eireti%stance of the land in De Afuera being highest towards the sou h, while the more elevated part of De Tierra is towards t e north ; and at the south point also of the latter is a lar e rock, or islet, about half a mile from the island. Fernan dez de Afuera is generally named Masafucro by the Eng lish navigators, which is probably nothing more than a corruption of the Spanish aipellation filas-liara, which expresses its being more remote than the other from the American continent, It is very high and mountainous, like one hill or rock, and in clear weather may be seen from Fernandez de Tierra. It is of a triangular form, and about eight leagues in circumfer ence. Its cliffs on the south end are almost perpendicular from the sea ; but on the opposite side, though the land is likewise very elevated, is a fine low green point stretch northward from the bottom of the cliff, and forming a perfect level, fully a mile and a half in length. In the account of Lord Anson's voyage, there is said to be no proper anchorage except on the north side, in deep water; but Commodore Byron found good anchorage on the east side towards the south point, in twenty fathoms, within two cables length of the shore. Captain Carteret also says, that he saw no part where there was not anchorage; that on the western side particularly, there is anchorage about a mile from the shore in twenty fathom, and about two miles and a half in forty fathom, with a fine black sand at the bottom ; and mentions a remarkable rock with a hole in it, on the south-west point, as a good mark for anchor ing on that side. Captain Moss, however, affirms that in no part is there good anchorage; that in places where an anchor may be let go, there is foul ground; and that no thing but great distress can warrant anchoring on the coast of this island. All the navigators who have visited it, con cur in their descriptions of the extreme difficulty of land ing, on account of the high surf, which breaks upon large fragments of rocks all round the island, so that a boat cannot safely come within a cable's length of the shore. The only mode of landing is by swimming from the boat, and then mooring her without the rocks; and Commodore Byron, in order to protect his men from being bruised by the rocks, as well as to assist them in swimming, pro vided them with cork jackets. Neither is there any other way of getting off the wood and water casks, but by haul ing them to the boat with ropes; and even this is some times found to be impracticable. When three of Captain Carteret's crew had swam ashore for the purpose of pro curing water, the surf rose so high that they could not re turn to the boat, and were left all night in a state of com plete nakedness on the island during a violent storm of rain, thunder, and lightning. In order to protect themselves from the cold, they lay upon one another, each man pla cing himself alternately between the other two; and next day, by travelling along the shore, and occasionally swim ming around the steep points, reached with difficulty the tent of their shipmates in another part of the island. In
addition to these dangers, the men, in swimming ashore, are exposed to attacks from enormous sharks of the most ravenous kind, which were observed by Byron's crew to dart into the very surf after the swimmers. The boats of Captain Moss were staved in one of his attempts to land ; and he advises the ships which go there for seals, to have a strong built boat for the purpose of anchoring behind the surf. He found only one place, which he named Enderby's Cove, where a boat could be hauled up in a small inlet on the east side ; but that only when the wind is from south west to north-north-west. " There are many places, how ever," Captain Carteret observes, 'a where it would be very easy to make a commodious landing, by building a wharf, which it would be worth while even for a single ship to do, if she was to continue any time at the island." It af fords all the requisite refreshments for voyagers, especially in the summer season ; and would be a very desirable Place to touch at, were the landing rendered more easy. There is plenty of wood and water all round the island ; but the east side has the most pleasant aspect, sliming numerous vallies coverer with trees, rich in verdure, and abounding in flowers of the lily and violet kinds. Down every valley runs a copious stream of water, which ex pands in its descent among the rocks into several succes sive reservoirs; but the seals go far up into these vallies, and the water has a bad taste, unless taken above the places which they frequent. These animals arc so nu merous on this island, teat they literally cover the shores ; and Captain Moss's crew took 2100 of them in a few clays. There are various kinds of lisp also, particularly cod, hali but, coal-fish, and crayfish, in such abundance, that in two hours a single boat with hooks and lines might take suf ficient to serve a large ship's company for two days. They are all excellent in their kind, and many of them weigh front twenty to thirty pounds. There are many goats in the place, which are not difficult to be caught, and which Byron compares to the best venison in England. Among the birds were observed, particularly, various kinds of hawks, sonic very large, and others as small as a gold finch ; and the pintado birds were so numerous, that in one night during a gale, Carteret's people caught not less than seven hundred, which flew straight into the fire which they had kindled. on shore. Among the vegetables, the mountain cabbage was particularly noticed ; and the trees consisted principally of red cedar, and a hard yellow wood like box. See Byron's Voyage round the World ; Carteret's Voyage round the World; Ulloa's Voyage to South ?inzerica, vol. ii. p. 219 ; and _Extracts from Captain IN-loss's MS. first published in the 4thenecum, vol. i. p. 581. (q)