Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

Sept! 1833. precautions — h.m.s. snake. 289 On the 7th of September, we finally left Blanco Bay ; * but again sounded along the dangerous banks of Anegada Bay, determined to do our utmost to prevent vessels from getting ashore there in future, as many have done already, especially during the blockade of Buenos Ayres, when several prizes, which had been taken from the Brazilians, were wrecked and totally lost. In these surveying trips along-shore we always anchored when we could, in order to preserve our station and connect triangles ; but, of course, we were often obliged to weigh again at short notice, during the night ; therefore every preparation was made for any change of wind or weather, and a careful look-out always kept upon the deep-sea lead (invariably attended throughout the night), as well as upon the sympie- someter, the sky, and the water. I mention the deep-sea lead particularly, because however shallow the water may be, mis- takes are often made with the hand-lead, especially at night, when a tide or current is running, in consequence of the lead being drifted by the action of the water upon it and the line, and deceiving even a moderate leads-man ; who sometimes thinks the water much deeper than it really is — sometimes the reverse ; and never can tell exactly, under such circumstances, how a ship is moving over the ground, or whether she is drag- ging her anchors. Off Starve Island we were obliged to weigh in a hurry, one night, owing to a gale coming on from the south-east, and during the 10th and 11th, we carried a press of sail, to get off the land; the wind then drew round by the south, and a succession of baffling weather ensued, which prevented our doing any thing on the coast, and also hindered our reaching the Plata until the 16th, on which day we ran up to Monte Video, and anchored. On the 18th we weighed, hearing that H.M.S. Snake had brought stores and letters for us, and was at Maldonado, but had hardly lost sight of the town, when the Snake hove in * Mr. Darwin had previously departed on his road to Buenos Ayres. VOL. ir. u