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

March 1830. san andrfs ok sahmiento. 33^ bay exposed to a long reach of sea from that quarter, it cannot be accounted a safe harbour ; yet it was very far preferable to many places in which we had been obliged to anchor. " This bay (Portland Bay) is on the north side of an open- ing called by Sarmiento ' Canal de Tres Cerros,' and from the broken state of the interior high land, one is led to imagine a channel might be found there. His conclusion, I have no doubt, was drawn from this appearance, since the view down the open- ing is very limited, and, at the distance of three or four miles within the entrance, is interrupted by several small islands. Mr. Kirke passed between those islets, and followed an opening to the S.E., for upwards of eight leagues. On his return, he reported that he had found a fine channel, of which the principal entrance was the opening of Sarmiento's ' Canal San Andres.' " On the 12th, in full anticipation of making some inte- resting discovery, we sailed into the ' Canal San Andres,' anchoring in the afternoon in Expectation Bay, where we remained until the 15th. During that time, Mr. Kirke was employed examining the different openings, and tracing this supposed channel farther. At his return, he said that he had found a termination to every opening, even to that in which we then were, which he had previously thought to be a channel. Like the rest, it extended only to the base of the snowy Cor- dillera, and then was suddenly closed by immense glaciers. " This information caused great disappointment, as all hope of passing through the Cordillera, thus far northward, was now given up ; and I was fearful we should be delayed many more days before we could extricate ourselves from this (as we then supposed) false channel. We were many ntiiles within the entrance ; in that distance there were no anchorages, and the wind being generally from the westward, I anticipated much labour before we could effect our return ; but the very next day we were so fortunate as to have a slant of fair wind, by which we cleared this opening, and a second time entered Con- cepcion Strait. Knowing, by our former survey, that there was no anchorage along the coast to the southward of Cape San Andres before reaching Guard Bay, I ran over to Madi'e z 2