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

162 CAMPANA ISLAND PARAtl.EL PEAK. April 1828. " The wind abated at daylight on the 9th, and drew to the southward, and thence to the S.E. (the fair weather quarter of this coast). We bore up to make the land, and at about 10 a.m. the ' loom' of it was seen from the mast-head. At noon, high mountains were visible from the deck ; our latitude, by obser- vation, was 48° 51', and our longitude, by chronometer, 00° 27' west of Port Henry. No soundings were obtained with one hundred and ten fathoms of line. Hence we steered east (mag- netic) towards a remarkable mountain, which, from our being nearly in the parallel of it at noon, has been marked in the chart as Parallel Peak. The coast we were upon was that of the Island 'Campana,"' and, in its general appearance, did not differ from that of Madre de Dios. It was late before we got very close to the land ; but, for a couple of leagues to the north- ward, and about a league to the southward of the parallel of our latitude at noon, we could distinguish rocks and breakers skirting the coast to a distance of two leagues from the shore. " At dusk we hauled off for the night ; but instead of being able to resume the examination of the coast next morning, we had to encounter another gale of wind from the N.W., which, before noon, reduced us to close-reefed main-topsail and reefed foresail. This gale suddenly subsided in the western quarter, which was singular ; for those we have experienced generally commenced at north, thence drew round to the westward, from which point to S.W. they blew with the greatest fury, and hauling to the southward, usually abated to the eastward of south. " During the afternoon, we again made the land near Parallel Peak, but could not close it. Next morning (11th), with fine weather, and a fresh breeze at S.W. b. W., we once more saw the land about Parallel Peak ; and when distant from the shore about eight miles, steered N. b. E. along the coast. At noon our latitude was 48° 47'. " Throughout our run along the coast this day, we skirted a number of rocky islets, rocks, and breakers, lying off shore at the distance of three or four miles. Some of the islets were elevated several feet above the surface of the sea ; others were