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

174 APPENDIX. also in the harbour where the ship lay. These rocks are less dan- gerous to shipping, by reason they have weeds lying about them." From all the preceding description, it appears that they were at the south part of the island named Madre de Dios in the Spanish atlas ; which island is south of the channel, or arm of the sea, named the Gulf de la S""" Trinidada ; and that Sharp's English Gulf is the Brazo de la Con^epcion of Sarmiento. Ringrose has dra^^^l a sketch of the Dulce of York's Islands, and one of the English Gulf ; but which are not worth copying, as they have neither compass, meridian line, scale, nor soundings. He has given other plans in the same defective manner, on which account they can be of little use. It is necessary, however, to remark a dif- ference in the plan which has been printed of the English Gulf, from the plan in the manuscript. In the printed copy, the shore of the gulf is drawn in one continued line, admitting no thorouglifare whereas, in the manuscript plan, there are clear openings, leaving a prospect of channels through. Towards the end of October, the weather settled fair. Hitherto they had seen no inhabitants ; but on the 27th, a party went from the ship in a boat on an excursion in search of provisions, and un- happily caught sight of a small boat belonging to the natives of the land. The ship's boat rowed in pursuit, and the natives, a man, a woman, and a boy, finding their boat would be overtaken, all leaped overboard and swam towards the shore. This villanous crew of buc- caneers had the barbarity to shoot at them in the water, and they shot the man dead ; the woman made her escape to land ; the boy, a stout lad about eighteen years of age, was taken, and with the Indian boat, was carried to the ship. The poor lad thus made prisoner had only a small covering of seal skin. " He was squint-eyed, and his hair was cut short. The doree, or boat, in which he and the other Indians were, was built sharp at each end and flat bottomed : in the middle they had a fire burning for dressing victuals, or other use. Tliey had a net to catch penguins, a club like our bandies, and wooden darts. This young Indian appeared by his actions to be very innocent and foolish. He could open large muscles with his fingers, which our buccaneers coidd scarcely manage with their knives. He was very wild, and would eat raw flesh." By the beginning of November the rudder was repaired and hung. Ringrose says, " we could perceive, now the stormy weather was