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

366 PORPHYRY SAXD TEMPERATURE. DeC. 1829- them, that thinking they ought to be surveyed, I returned on board, weighed, and worked towards the nearest opening. We shot into it, and warped to a berth four cables' lengths up a narrow passage, and anchored in twenty-four fathoms, upon sand and clayey mud. " 13th. Many wigwams were found in this neighbourhood, Avhich showed that our Fuegian acquaintances were occasional visitors. The inner harbour seemed to be a fine basin ; but the bottom was found inferior to that of the anchorage at which the Beagle lay moored. " 15th. Strong wind and frequent rain prevented much being done out of the ship this day. I went to the top of a mountain near the ship, but could not take many angles because of the violent squalls and the rain. At night it blew a hard gale : the squalls came furiously over the heiglits, and obliged us to let go a third anchor and strike topmasts. We were quite sheltered from the true wind ; but were reached most effectually by the Willi waws, which came down with great force. However vexed we might have been at not being able to go far from the ship, we were certainly very fortunate in escaping this gale at a secure anchorage. It appeared to be blowing veiy heavily at sea. " 16th. A strong gale all day, with much rain, prevented our leaving the ship. In coming down a height on the 15th, I found some red porphyry rock, Uke that about Port Desire ; and the first I had seen in these parts. Another novelty was a tract of about two acres of pure white sand thinly covered with grass. " Thouffh the middle of summer, the weather was not much warmer than in winter. The average height of the thermometer was about ten degrees greater ; being nearly the same, as during the months of August and September, in Childe. " 17th. A continuance of bad weather : no work was done in the boats this day. In the afternoon I tried to go up the mountain I had ascended on Tuesday, to bring down a theo- dolite which I had left at the top ; but the wind obliged me to return unsuccessful. " 18th. Similar weather continued until noon : frequent strong-