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

62 MAGDALEN CHANNEL. Feb. 1827. unless, indeed, they trade with the Patagonian Indians ; but such is the poverty of the Fuegians, they can scarcely possess any thing of value sufficient to exchange with the goods of their northern neighbours, unless it be iron pyrites, which I think is not found in the open country inhabited by the Patagonian Indians, and, from the facility with which it yields sparks of fire, must be an object of importance. We were not a little amused, by the surprise which these natives showed at the things in our possession, and by the effect produced in their countenances when they saw any thing extraordinary : the expression was not that of joy or surprise, but a sort of vacant, stupified, stare at each other. They must have been very suspicious of our intentions, or very much excited by what they had seen during the day, as throughout the night an incessant chattering of voices was heard on shore, interrupted only by the barking of their dogs. Looking down the Magdalen Inlet, we saw two openings, which, while the hills were enveloped in mist, had the ap- pearance of being channels. We proceeded for some distance into the more westerly of the two, but found that it was merely a sound, terminated by high land. The boat was then steered under a steep mass of black mountainous land,* the summit of which is divided into three peaks, which Sarmiento called ' El Pan de Azucar de los Boquerones' (the Sugar-loaf of tlie Openings). We ran southward, fifteen miles down this sound, and reached the Labyrinth Islands; but finding there no suitable anchorage, resumed our course towards the bottom of what we thought another sound, terminated by mountains. At noon, the furthest point, on the west shore, which we called Cape Turn, was within three miles of us, and we should soon have discovered the continuation of the channel (as it has since been proved) ; but a breeze set in from the S. W., and in a short time it blew so strono; as to oblige us to turn back. ' Williwaws' and baffling eddy winds kept us seven hours under Mount Boqueron. These squalls were at first alarming, but by taking in all sail, before they passed, we sustained no injury. At sun- • Mount BoqTieron.