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

Nov. 1829. VICINITY OK CAPE PILLAR. 361 " In working into the harbour we passed over several patches of kelp, under which the bottom was plainly visible ; but the lead never showed less than five fathoms, until we were about to anchor, when the vessel shot a-head into a weedy place, where we had three fathoms. This was about a cablet's lensth in-shore (towards the highest mountain) of the spot marked by Lieutenant Sk}'ring as good holding ground, to which we warped and anchored. It proved to be very good ground, being extremely tough clay. " 2Tth. A promising morning tempted me to try to obtain observations and a round of angles on or near Cape Pillar. I therefore left the ship with the master, and went in a boat to the Cape. To land near it in much swell was not easy upon such steep and slippery rocks : at last we got ashore in a cove, and hauled the instruments up the rocks by lines, but could get no further, on account of precipices. I, therefore, gave up that attempt, and went outside the Cape, to look for a better place ; but every part seemed similar, and, as the weather was getting foggy, it was useless to persevere. In going to the Cape, and in returning, I measured the distance by a patent log, and found the mean of the two measurements agree with the chart. What current there was, ran to the westward. " A small ox, which we had carried from Chiloe, was doomed to end his voyage at this place, and probably we were the first people who ever eat fresh beef in the Strait of Magalhaens. " 2Stli and 29th. Gloomy days, with much wind and rain and the gusts coming so violently over the mountains, that we were unable to do any work, out of the ship. " 30th. Still blowing and raining. " Dec. 1st and 2d. Cloudy days, with strong wind ; but one short interval of sunshine was gladly made use of for rating our chronometers. " 3d. This morning we weighed, and worked out ; and at one P.M. we were three miles westward of Cape Pillar, with every appearance of a N.W. gale. Shortly after, the weather became so thick, that I could not see any part of the coast and therefore stood off shore, under low sail, expecting a bad