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

362 APOSTLES — JUDGES CUKEEMT. DeC. 1829. night. Contrary to my expectation, the wind did not much increase ; but the thick weather, and a heavy swell, induced me to stand farther out than I had at first intended. At eleven, P.M., we wore and stood in until daylight on the 4th, when we found ourselves so much to the southward, that the land about Cape Pillar bore N. b. W., the Cape itself being shut in. We steered for the land, hoping to turn the day to some account but those hopes soon ceased, for before we had run sufficient distance to make a serviceable base line, the weather became so thick as to oblige us to haul our wind. We saw just enough to make out a number of rocks and breakers, lying at a consi- derable distance oiF shore. After noon it was clearer, and we again stood in-shore ; but found that the current was setting us so fast to the southward, that it was necessary to carry all sail and keep on a wind, to avoid losing grovind ; yet, with a fresh, double-reefed topsail breeze and a deeply laden weatherly vessel, we could not hold our own, and at seven in the evening were close to an islet which lies off Cape Sunday. We had seen very little of the coast thus far : the current had rendered the patent log useless for measuring bases, and the weather was very unfavourable for astronomical observations. The land appeared to be high and mountainous, as far as Cape Deseado, whence it seemed lower and more broken, forming a large bay between that cape and Cape Sunday. Many rocks on which the sea breaks violently lie at a distance from the shore, besides those two clusters called the ' Apostles' and the 'Judges: ' the latter off Cape Deseado, and the former off Apostle Point, a little south of Cape Pillar. " 5th. To our mortification, we found ourselves a great way off shore ; and Landfall Island, which was eight miles to lee- ward the last evening, was now in the wind's eye, at a distance of about six leagues. A strong wind, with much swell, pre- vented our regaining lost ground in a northerly direction, I therefore preferred standing to the S.E. by the wind, intending to seek for a harbour, as it seemed hopeless to try to survey this coast while undei sail, with such obstacles to contend against as a current setting about a mile an hour, and a sky