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

Feb. 1830. halt bay — English narrow. 335 in these regions, the wind, if there is any, is ahnost always southerly, and light. " At every anchorage we had found Indian wigwams, but as yet had not met with any natives. Here we took a great number of fish ; and, among them, one like the ling, found on the east coast of Patagonia, off" Cape Fairweather, but of smaller size, for the largest did not weigh more than two pounds. Very few water-fowl were seen ; steamers and shags were the only ones shot; but in the woods we noticed king-fishers, wood- peckers, barking-birds, parroquets, and humming-birds. " (21st.) With a light nortlierly wind we left this cove, and about ten miles to the southward the appearance of the channel changed greatly. Instead of sailing through uncon- nected land, of moderate height, we were confined between two mountainous ridges.* At noon we were obliged to anchor in Halt Bay, no opening appearing to the right or left, and being apparently embayed. On the west side, the high land was skirted by several low islands, among which our only way of proceeding seemed to lie. This day and the next Mr. Kirke was away, seeking a passage ; and having found one, and noticed the tides, we sailed through on the 23d, and gave it the name of the English Narrow. It is long and intri- cate, chiefly formed by islands ; and in three places, where the shores approach each other, the distance across is less than four hundred yards, yet with a fair wind and slack tide, there is no hazard in passing. In the afternoon, we moored in ten or twelve fathoms in Level Bay, a spacious anchorage near the southern entrance of the Narrow ; the bottom mud and sand, and the depth of water equal throughout. Mr. Kirke, who was among the islands opposite this bay, saw numerous shoals * On the west shore Mr. Kirke noticed what appeared to be a channel, about twelve miles N. W. of Halt Bay, in the mouth of which was a con- siderable tide-ripple ; an almost cei^tain indication of such an opening'. " I thought the inlet about twelve miles north-west of Halt Bay much like a channel. I also noticed a distinct tide ripple, which I did not remark near any other opening. To me this appeared the southernmost inlet, of any depth ; or at all likely to be a channel." — Kirke MS.