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. HUAFO BREAK ANCHORS. 365 space of sea in such large canoes as those of the Chonos Indians, which are indeed boats. Fuegian wigwams have been found upon Staten Land and upon Noir Island, each of which is as far from any neighbouring coast as Socorro is from the nearest shore. While Narborough's ship was under sail, near Socorro, he went in his boat to the island which is nearest to it, by him named Narborough Island.* There he landed, and took posses- sion for his Majesty and his heirs.-|" 3d. Having passed the night quietly at single anchor, near the north-east point of Socorro, we weighed and continued our route to and fro along the coast, taking angles, soundings, and observations. On the 5th, we were near Huafo,J which, to our surprise, we found to be twenty-five miles farther north than the Spanish charts (following Moraleda) showed its position, yet the longitude was almost correct. In a small cove, near the south-east point of Huafo, we anchored, but broke a bower-anchor in doing so ; for the cove is small — an unexpected puff of wind gave us too much way — and dropping the bower in haste, it fell upon a rock, and broke. § Only two days before another anchor was broken, near Socorro, by the ship pitcliing while a short scope of cable was out, and the anchor hooking to a rock. I found, on landing, that the formation of the island, like that of Socorro and Narborough Island, is a soft sandstone? which can be cut with a knife as easily as a cake of chocolate. • " Neither the chart in Ulloa, nor any of the Spanish charts lately in Hse, show the name of N.S. del Socorro to any island near the coast here- abouts. The Spanish Atlas of 1798, places an island very near the coast> in 44° 50' S. latitude, which in shape and situation answers nearly to Nar- borough's description of the island, to which he gave his own name." (Burney, vol. iii. p. 360. Note.) t " I saw no kind of mineral in it. Not finding this island noted in any draught (chart), I called it after my own name, Narbrough Island, and took possession of it for his Majesty and his heirs." — (Narborough's Voyage to Patagonia and Chile, in 1669-1671.) { Called by Narborough " No-man's Island." § Or between two rocks, so that the first sudden strain snapped the shank.