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

850 DISAPPOINTMENT BAT. April! 830. to the eastward. The low points, before mentioned, beyond which, from Easter Bay, we could distinguish no land, and between which we expected to make good our course to the S.E., appeared to be coimected by a low flat country. An ex- tensive sheet of water was indeed observed to the eastward, yet I coidd only, from its appearance, conclude that it was a spa- cious bay. " My attention was next drawn to the southward, in which direction, to the east of Woolley Peninsula, appeared a wide and deep opening, and this I determined to explore on the morrow ; for it was now the only course likely to lead us to Fitz Roy Passage, where it became every day more indispen- sable that we should arrive, since our provisions were getting short. At my return on board, I learnt from Mr. Kirke that he had examined the greater part of Worsley Sound, whose eastern shore formed a line of coast almost connected with that of the bight before us, to which the name of Disappointment Bay was given. " It was arranged that he should proceed from his last point, and carefully trace the shore of Disappointment Bay to the eastern headland of the southern opening, down which it was my intention to proceed. With these objects in view, we left the schooner next morning. A fair wind soon brought me to the entrance, where I landed to take bearings on the west side, and arrived at the promontory of ' Hope' by noon. There I ascended to the summit of the hills, but found them so thickly wooded, that my anticipated view of the land was almost inter- cepted, and the angles taken were in consequence very limited. " At this promontory the course of the channel trends slightly to the eastward ; and its direction is afterwards to the S.S.E., being open and clear for eight or ten miles, when low land stretching across from the west side intercepts the view. In passing to the southward, I landed frequently to continue the angles, and hauled up, at the close of day, in Kara Avis Bay, still doubtful of the nature of the opening. " Next morning, passing Point Intervene, we pulled into an extensive reach ; and having landed, to take bearings, on the