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

1834. KIVER SANTA CRUZ BANKS. 837 having to take charge of the ship during our absence, could not go ; neither could Mr. Stewart, or Mr. King, who were required to attend to duties on board ; but Mr. Darwin, Mr. Chaffers, Mr. Stokes, Mr. Bynoe, Mr. Mellersh, Mr. Martens, and eighteen seamen and marines prepared to accompany me. Early on the 18th we left the Beagle, and with a favouring wind and flood tide sailed up the estuary, into which the river flows. This wide and turbid estuary receives a torrent which rushes through a confined opening into the ocean, during seven hours, and is opposed and driven back by the flood tide during about five hours of the twelve. On each side of both the estuary and river lie extensive plains of arid desert land : these plains are not, however, on the same level ; for, on the northern bank the land is very little raised above the level of high spring tides while, on the southern side of the river, high, perpendiculai- cliffs form a striking contrast : but after ascending these heights, by any of the ravines which intersect them, one finds a dead level expanse, similar in every respect to that on the northern shore. In the horizon, another ' steppe,' or parallel plain, at a higher elevation, is seen ; which, at a distance, appears like a range of hills of equal height. Excepting in tlie porphyry districts, all the eastern coasts of Patagonia, and the little of the interior which I have seen, seemed to me to be a similar succession of horizontal ranges of level land varying in height, intersected here and there by ravines and water-courses. There are, certainly, hills in many- places which appear when one is passing at sea, or in the dis- tance, conical, or at all events peaked; but even those hills are but the gable ends, as it were, of narrow horizontal ridges of land, higher than the surrounding country. The cMs on the south side of the river have a whitish appearance ; and are similar to those on the outer coast, which were said by Sir John Narborough to resemble the .coast of Kent. Their upper outline, when seen from a dis- tance, is quite horizontal. Brownish yellow is the prevaiHng colour, lighter or darker, as the sun shines more, or becomes obscured. Here and there, in hollow places and ravines, a VOL. IT. 2