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

May 1830. channels — unbroken chain. 443 just now, about three thousand. At a distance, the channel appeared to trend to the southward of west, and there the sides of the mountains seemed to be very bare, and weather-beaten, while near nie they were covered with wood. This led me to conclude that farther westward they were open to the sea winds, and that there the channel ended. By the observations, I found that we were* nearly in the longitude of Christmas Sound, and in latitude 54° 5¥ S., being therefore twenty miles south of the end of Admiralty Sound, but considerably to the westward of it. This position, and the bearings and estimated distances, showed me that the other arm of this long channel opened near the spot where Mr. Murray laid down (near the head of Christmas Sound) a ' channel, running to the east- ward, beyond eyesight ; ' and that the branch in which I was must lead towards the bay or sound to the N.W. of Christmas Sound, at the base of very high land, which Mr. Murray laid down as ' an unbroken range of snow-covered mountains.' The time of high water in this channel exactly corresponded with that on the adjacent sea-coast, but did not nearly agree wit that of the Strait of Magalhaens. These facts, and the appear- ance of the land, removed every doubt in my mind of the existence of an unbroken chain of mountains, reaching from the Barbara Channel to the Bell Mountain, and I therefore decided to spend no further time in searching thereabouts for a passage northward, but make all haste to examine the exterior shores. " The channel here was about a mile wide, but the moun- tains on each side rising so abruptly, made it appear nmch narrower. It might be a good passage for a ship to sail through, from the westward, were it not for the trouble and anxiety of getting in with the land at the right place ; and that a ship might sail on her course, in the open sea, by night as well as by day ; but here she could hardly choose to run at night, because there are a few low islets, near mid- channel, in some parts. For a boat, in case of shipwreck, or other urgent reason, it might be convenient : but going through to the westward would be very difficult, because it would be • In longitude 69.20. W.