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

638 CURRENT RETURN TO ENGLAND. April — Nov there in earlier years, when its existence was hardly known. We found the current setting towards the north-west, as I had been led to expect ; but, from what I could observe, during our stay, as well as from oral information, I am led to believe that the current only sets strongly during about the last half of the flood tide, and the first half of the ebb ; and that during the other six hours there is little or no current as is the case off Cape Horn, and in many other places.* Our passage to the Mauritius was slow, but in smooth water. Tropic birds, a few terns, and gannets were seen, at intervals, when passing the neighbourhood of the Chagos Islands, and at our approach to the island Rodriguez. We anchored in Port Louis, at the Mauritius, on the 29th of April : sailed thence on the 9th of May : passed near Madagascar — thence along the African shore— and anchored in Simon's Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope, on the 31st. From that well-known place we went to St. Helena, Ascension, Bahia, Pernambuco, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Azores ; and anchored at Falmouth, on the 2d of October, after an absence of four years and nine months from England. From Falmouth we went to Plymouth ; and thence, calling at Portsmouth, to the Thames. On the 28th our anchor was let go at Greenwich ; and, after the chronometer rates M^ere ascertained, the Beagle dropped down to Woolwich, where she was paid off on the 17th of November. Greenwich was the last station at which observations were made ; and, singularly enough, Mr. Usborne and his compa- nions came on board as we anchored there. Independent of the gratification of meeting them again, after so wide a separa- tion, it may be supposed how my mind was relieved by his safe return from a very successful expedition, in which he had surveyed the whole coast of Peru, from Atacama to Guaya- quil, without loss or accident. Although his own life was seriously risked on two or three occasions, by shots fired under misapprehension ; I must not omit to mention that hostilities • V'arying from three parts, to one-quarter of a tide difference between the time of low water and the beginning of flood stream.