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

Dec. 1829. BLIND BREAKER FUEGIANS PETREL. 367 squalls, and rain : the sky being so constantly overcast that we saw neither sun nor stars. Although no progress was made in this weather, it was some satisfaction to think that we lost nothino; but time; and that we saved much wear of the vessel by lying at anchor instead of being at sea. Being more moderate in the afternoon, our boats went away, and the ship was prepared for sailing. We tried to get some fur-seal, which were seen on a rock near the harbour, but they were too wary- " My boat was almost capsized by a ' blind breaker,' which rose suddenly underneath her, and in an instant she was sur- rounded by and floated upon a white wave of foam, which broke all round and over, but without upsetting or swamp- ing her. " 19th. Weighed and ran across to an anchorage in Landfall Island which I had seen from the heights. We anchored in a sheltered bay lying on the north side of the larger island, at the east opening of a passage which separates it from the smaller. These islands are high and, towards the sea, barren ; but the sides of the hills, towards the east, are tliickly wooded. " A large smoke made near the bay showed us, that the Fuegians were in possession of our intended quarters; and soon after we anchored, a canoe came off to us full of men, women, and children, sixteen in all. They were in every respect similar to those we had so frequently met before; and from their unwil- lingness to part with furs or skins, unless for serviceable arti- cles, such as knives, &c. appeared to have had dealings with Europeans : beads and trinkets they did not value. They had, in the canoe, many eggs, and dead birds, which they eat raw: the birds were a light blue, or dove-coloured, petrel, about eight inches long, which goes on land for a part of the year to lay eggs in holes in the ground. During this and the follow- ing day, we were fortunate enough to obtain observations, and nearly all the necessary bearings and angles. " As yet I was pleased with the anchorage ; the bottom shoaled gradually from twenty to five fathoms (fine sand), and it was sheltered from west winds, besides others, except north. Having obtained particularly good observations for latitude at