Page:Historical records of Port Phillip.djvu/81

 EARLY RECORDS OF PORT THILLIP. 69 Saturday, 14. a.m. — Light airs and clear. At 4 p.m. a calm. Half- past 7 sprang up a breeze from the S.W. This eve. at 6 we observed a very fine steady breeze come — tlie trade winds. Sunday, 15. ^Vind N.W. a.m. — Fresh breezes 30 minutes past 9. We passed a brig standing to the eastward at 10. Musterd at quarters. Quarter-past performed Divine Service, as before. At half-past 1 1 saw the high Peak of TenerifFe at 15 Igs. dist., S.W. by W. At 1 p.m. the N.E. point of land dist. at 12 Igs. ; the snow was very plain upon the Peak. At 9 we were very near the S.E. point of land. Monday, 16. Wind E.S.E., at 8 vble., half-past 8 N.E. a.m.— At 7 light airs and variable, standing for Santa Cruz Eoads, bearing west 8 or 9 miles. At 8 a whale past very near the stern of the Calcutta. At 9 a boat from the Town of Santa Cruz, with the Port Captain, a Spanish officer, came on board. At 10 he went on shore. At 11, Capt. Woodriff and Col. Collins w^ent to the Governors House, &c. Don Joseph de Purlesque, Governor General of the Canary Islands, and a Lieut.-General in the Spanish Service, p.m. — At 1 came to an anchor in Santa Cruz Roads with the best bower, when moord ship in 16 fthm. with the following bearings — East point of land E. by N. f N. ; the south point of Santa Cruz Bay, on with the south east of the Island S.W. ^ S. ; northern church spire W. f S. ; north round tower in the bay on with the high peak near do. ; likewise the boundry of the bay N. by E. The pier head on with the southermost church spire bearing S.W. by W. off the shore ^ a mile. Found riding in the bay a Spanish man of war brig and many merchant ships. At 2, Capt. W. and Col. Colls, returned on board. H.M. Ship Calcutta, at anchor, Santa Cruz Eoads, TenerifFe, May 1803. Monday, 16. At 3 the Ocean came to an anchor. At 5 Capt. Woodriff, Col. Collins and self went on shore to Mr. Armstrong's, the British Agent, &c., &c. He lives as you enter the town on the right, opposite the Mall. The landing place was commodious being formed by a stone pier, with steps, alongside of which two boats at a time may lay with ease and take in their fresh water, which comes down by a tank from the town. We landed on the very jjlace rchere Lord Nelson lost his arm, it appeared to have fallen nearly into a state of ruin. There were several peices of connon laid by the side ; but none mounted. They were repairing it before we came away. From the pier you enter the town by a gate at which stands a guard ; to the left is a large battery, Fort St. Phillip, which leads round to the High street. At the tower end was observed a light well-finished monument of white marble, commemorating the marvellous appearance of the image or bust of Our Lady at Candelaria to the Guanches, the Abo- rigines of the country, who were thereby converted to Xtianity, 104 years before the preaching of the Gospel. The four sides of the monu- ment bore long inscriptions to this effect ; and it was erected at the expense of Don Bartholomi de Montagues, perpetual Captain of the Royal Marine Castle, at Candelaria : — In the centre of this street were a stone bason and fountain. {Here it Tvas that the British Sea.men and Marines 7i'ere reimlsed when they