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

178 channel's mouth. June 1828- scene of the Wager's wreck, I wished to examine its western side ; but a strong N.N.E. wind did not permit my doing so, without risking the loss of more time than could be spared for an object of mere curiosity. I steered, therefore, to the south- eastward for an inlet, which proved to be the Channel's Mouth of the Spanish charts, and reached it, after running seventeen miles from the south end of Xavier Island. We got no sound- ings with ninety fathoms of line, when at its entrance ; but making no doubt that we should get anchorage witliin, we left, at the distance of half a mile, the islets of the northei'n point passed between two others distant apart only one-fifth of a mile, and shortly after anchored in twenty fathoms, sheltered by an island to the westward, but with rocky islets around us in all directions, except the S.E., some of wliich were less than a cable's length from us.* Here we were detained until the 10th of June by the worst weather I ever experienced : we rode with three anchors down and the topmasts struck ; and though we lay within a couple of hundred yards of the islands and rocks, and less tlian half a mile from the shores of the inlet, such a furious surf broke on them all, that it was but rarely a boat could land, even in the least exposed situations the inlet afforded. The evening of our arrival was fine, and we put up the observatory tent, on the island to the westward of us ; but the weather was so bad, during the next day, that we could effect no landing to remove it, although we anticipated the result that followed, namely, its being washed away. " In the short intervals of the horrible weather that pre- vailed, boats were sent to the northern shore of the inlet, for the purpose of procuring water and fuel ; but though they sometimes succeeded, by dint of great perseverance, in landing through a raging surf, it was but seldom they could embark the small casks (barecas) which had been filled, or the wood they had cut. " Upon this shore the master observed remains of some Indian wigwams, that seemed to have been long forsaken, and * This group was afterwards called Hazard Isles.