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

April 1830. weather — mr. Murray's dtscoverv. 429 " Theglasses had at last been rising; and during the past night and this day, the wind was veiy strong witli much rain. The wind shifted from the northern quarter into the southern, draw- ing round to the S.E. ; which, of course, would make the mer- cury rise higher after being so very low, though the weather might prove extremely bad. " 14th. The master returned, and surprised me with the infor- mation that he had been through and far beyond Nassau Bay. He had gone very little to the northward, but a long distance to the east, having passed through a narrow passage, about one-third of a mile wide, Avhich led him into a straight chan- nel, averaging about two miles or more in width, and extending nearly east and west as far as the eye could reach. Westward of the passage by which he entered, was an opening to the north- west ; but as his orders specified north and east, he followed the eastern branch of the channel, looking for an opening on either side, without success. Northward of him lay a range of mountains, whose summits were covered with snow, which extended about forty miles, and then sunk into ordinary hills that, near the place which he reached, shewed earthy or clayey cliffs towards the water. From the clay cliffs his view was unbroken by any land in an E.S.E. direction, therefore he must have looked through an opening at the outer sea. His provisions being almost exhausted, he hastened back. " On the south side of the channel there were likewise mountains of considerable elevation ; but, generally speaking, that shore was lower than the opposite. Mr. Murray saw great numbers of natives near the narrow passage and upwards of a hundred canoes were seen in one day, each containing from two to six people. These Fuegians had much guanaco skin, and many of the bones of that animal made into spear-heads, but very little seal-skin. The wigwams were large and commodious, compared with those of the western tribes, being built of small trees piled up endwise, and tied together at the top, their outside being covered with bushes, grass. Sec. to keep out the cold, and the earth inside scooped out much below the surface of the ground. Some could hold about twice as many people