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

458 NO SAN SEBASTIAN CHANNEL. June 1830. I had overshot the proper place ; especially as the land con- tinued flat, and unbroken, for many miles to the N.W., while to the S.E. it seemed hilly and irregular. " Having ranged along shore several miles, yet still seeing from the mast-head a continuation of the same kind of coast- line, as far as an eye could trace the surf on the beach, mthout any opening, we wore ship and stood to the northward, satis- fied that the St. Sebastian channel did not exist within many miles of the position laid down in the chart. " In the afternoon the weather became very thick, with rain, a fresh wind blowing right on shore, and the glasses falling ; so we carried sail to get off the land and out of the shoal water, in which there was a heavy ground swell. At midnight we had obtained a good offing. " On the 10th, a fresh breeze from the N.E., a low glass, and thick weather, with constant rain, would have pre- vented my nearing the land again if I had been disposed to do so. Though reluctant to leave any part of the coast of Tierra del Fuego unexplored, while I had so efiPective a vessel, and all with me in good health, I was bound to remember our distance from the appointed rendezvous ; the state of our provisions, of which we had only three weeks left on board and that I was ordered to be at Rio de Janeiro on the 20th of this month. I therefore decided to hasten to Port Desire, for the sake of the chronometer measurements ; and from thence proceed to Monte Video and Rio de Janeiro. I had previously made up my mind to carry the Fuegians, whom we had with us, to England ; trusting that the ultimate benefits arising from their acquaintance with our habits and language, would make up for the temporary separation from their own country. But this decision was not contemplated when I first took them on board ; I then only thought of detaining them while we were on their coasts; yet afterwards finding that they were happy and in good health, I began to think of the various advantages which might result to them and their countrymen, as well as to us, by taking them to England, educating them there as far as might be practicable, and then I