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

APPENDIX. 175 blo\\'n over, much small fry of fish about the ship, whereof before we saw none. The weather began to be warm, or rather hot ; and the birds, as thrushes and blackbirds, to sing as sweetly as those m England." On the 5th of November, they sailed out of the English Gulf, taking -with them their young Indian prisoner, to whom they gave the name of Orson. As they departed, the natives on some of the lands to the eastward made great fires. At six in the evening the ship was without the mouth of the gulf : the wind blew fresh from the N.W., and they stood out S.W. by W., to keep clear of breakers, which lie four leagues without the entrance of the gulf to the S. and S.S.E. Many reefs and rocks were seen hereabouts, on account of which they kept close to the wind till they were a good distance clear of the land. Their navigation from here to the Atlantic was, more than could have been imagined, like the journey of travellers by night in a strange country without a guide. The weather was stormy, and they would not venture to steer in for the Strait of Magalhaens, which they had purposed to do, for the benefit of the provision which the shores of the strait afford, of fresh water, fish, vegetables, and wood. They ran to the S. to go round to the Tierra del Fuego, hav- ing the wind from the N.W., which was the most favourable for this navigation ; but they frequently lay to, because the weather was thick. On the 12th, they had not passed the Tierra del Fuego. The lati- tude, according to observation that day, was 55° 25', and the course they steered was S.S.E. On the 14th, Ringrose says, " the latitude was observed 57° 50' S., and on this day we could perceive land, from which at noon we were due W." They steered S. by E., and expected that at dayUght the next morning they should be close in with the land ; but the weather became cloudy, with much fall of snow, and nothing more of it was seen. No longitude or meridian distance is noticed, and it must remain doubtful whether what they took for land was floating ice ; or their observation for the latitude erroneous, and that they saw the Isles of Diego Ramirez ? Three days afterwards, in latitude 58° 30' S., they feU in with ice islands, one of which they reckoned to be two leagues in circum- ference. A strong current set here southward. Tliey held on their course eastward so far, that when at last they did sail northward, they saw neither the Tierra del Fuego nor Staten Island. (End of November 1681.)