Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.1): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

58 ADMiuAi.TY SOUND. Feb. 1827. The harbour was full of fragments of ice, the succeeding morning, drifting into the Sound, where the sea-water, being at a higher temperature than the air, rapidly melted them. Since our departure from Port Waterfall, the weather had been mild, clear, and settled ; but as it wanted only three days of the change of the moon, at which period, as well as at the full, it always blew a gale, T wished to reach a place of security in the Gabriel Channel or Magdalen Sound. Near the islands of Ainsworth Harbour, three canoes passed us, steering across the Sound, each with a seal-skin fixed up in the bow for a sail ; and we recognised in them the party left at Port Cooke, among whom was the Indian who had been detected in stealing a tin pot. They did not come along-side ; but as we went by, pointed to the north, apparently urging us to go in that direction. We had noticed several wigwams at Parry and Ainsworth Harbours, which shows that they are much frequented by Indians, perhaps on their way to the open low country east of Mount Hope, where numerous herds of guanacoes may be found. Porpoises and seal were not scarce in this inlet, and in the entrance there were many whales. The presence of seal and wiiales made me think it probable there was a channel ; but I believe every person with me was satisfied of its being a sound, terminating under Mount Hope. Since my later experience of the deceptive character of some passages in Tierra del Fuego (the Barbara Channel, for example), I have felt less certain that there may not be a communication with the low land, behind Mount Hope, round its northern base. The improba- bility was, however, so great, — from the bottom of the sound formado en el seno de alg-una de las montanas inmediatas, en que parece haber algunos minerales, y aun volcanes, que estan del todo 6 casi apagados, movifendonos a hacer este juicio, el haberse encontrado, en la eima de una de ellas, porcion de materia compuesta de tierra y metal, que en su peso, color, y demas caracteres, tenia impreso el sello del fuego active en que habia tornado aquel estado, pues era una perfects iinagfen de las cscorias del hierro quo se ven en nuestras fen-erias. ^pendice al Fiuge de Cordova al Mfujullanes, p. 65.