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

348 TERMINATION OF THE ANDES. April 1830. obstructed by several small islets, and passed suddenly out into a clear, open bay. Our prospect here became wholly differ- ent to that which for months before we had daily witnessed. North and south of us were deep bays, while to the east, between two points seven or eight miles apart, our view was unob- structed by land, and we were sanguine in hoping that we had discovered an extensive body of water. There was also a con- siderable change in the appearance of the country, which no less delighted than astonished us ; for so gratifying a prospect had not been seen since leaving Chiloe. Eastward, as I said before, we could perceive no land ; to the north-east and south-eastward lay a low flat country, and the hills in the interior were long, level ranges, similar to that near Cape Gregory, while behind us, in every direction westward, rose high rugged mountains. I fully believed that our course here- after would be in open water, along the shores of a low coun- try, and that we had taken leave of narrow straits, enclosed by snow-capped mountains : the only difficulty to be now over- come was, I imagined, that of getting the vessel safely through the Kirke Narrow ; which, hazardous as I thought the pass, was preferable to the intricate White Narrow, through which we had just passed. Such were my expectations ; and with so noble a prospect in view, I hastened to look for anchor- age for the schooner, which I succeeded in finding at a place named by me Easter Bay, and returned on board the next day through Kirke Narrow. Mr. Kirke employed three days about his work, having traced the inlet, which trended northward from Cape Grey for nearly eleven leagues. He found that it was bordered on each side by a steep range of mountains, broken here and there by deep ravines, which were filled with frozen snow, and surmounted by extensive glaciers, whence huge avalanches were continually falling. The western side of this canal is formed by the southern termination of the Andes. At the northern end are two bays, with sandy beaches, backed by low land, which, however, rises gradually to high peaked mountains, (Hstant about two miles. " Early on Easter Tuesday we left Whale-boat Bay, and