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

330 channel''s mouth — kieke's heport. Jan. 1830. recommends for small vessels ; the depth of water being six or eight fathoms, and the anchorage well sheltered from the wind. On the 31st they anchored under the Hazard Islands, in the Channel's Mouth : " preparatory," writes Lieutenant Skyring, " to commencing new work with the new year ; for since enter- ing the gulf, except while examining the San Tadeo, we had followed the Beagle's track, and only completed what she left unfinished ; but from this place all would be new. This was the last wild anchorage she had taken ; and although now fixed in the best situation, and in the height of summer, we found our position almost as dangerous as hers. " Early on the 1st of January 1830, Mr. Kirke went in a whale-boat to examine the openings, at the mouth of which we had anchored : he returned on the 9th, having traced to the end, all which had the least appearance of being channels. The two largest, the south and the east, penetrated into the Cor- dillera for thirty miles. All these inlets are narrow but deep arms of the sea, running between ranges of very steep hills their sides affording not the least shelter, even for a boat, and apparently deserted; for neither seal, nor birds of any kind were seen, nor were there even muscles on the rocks."" Mr. Kirke, in his report, says : " The three northernmost of the inlets of the ChannePs Mouth end with high land on each side, and low sandy beaches at the head, beyond which there rises a ridge of high mountains, about two miles from the beach. The S.E. inlets end in rivers rushing down from the mountains, and a rocky shore : not the smallest shelter could I find, even for the boat. Two days and nights I was forced to keep her hauled up on a rock, just above high-water mark, in a strong gale, while the williwaws were so violent, that we were all obliged to add our weight to that of the boat, to pre- vent her from being blown off: and twice Ave were washed out of our resting-places, on the beach, by the night tide rising about fifteen or sixteen inches above that of the day." This opening in the coast is noticed by the pilot Machado (x\giieros, p. 210) ; but by whom the name of Channel's Mouth was given, does not appear. It is by no means descriptive of