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

208 APPJiNDlX. ever slightly made, brings the place to mind in an instant, and avoids any necessity for names* or letters. No. 40. Nautical Remarks on the Northern Coast of Chile. Scarcely any extensive coast less requires particular description than that of Chile. With a tolerable chart, and the lead going, a stranger may saQ into, or out of, almost any Chilian port without hesi- tation. As there are, however, some anchorages and landing-places hitherto little known, except to coasters, it may be useful to give a few notices of them. Valparaiso, and the ports southward, have been described so often, that I will not occupy any of these crowded pages with remarks on such well-known places ; although in another publication, strictly nautical, they will appear. QuiNTERO, HoRcoN, and Papudo, have no hidden dangers. The two former lie to the southward and northward, respectively, of a strag- gling cluster of black rocks, above water : the first is now little fre- quented, being rather shallow, and out of the way : the second is a summer roadstead, with a good landing-place, and easy communica- tion thence to Puchancavi. Papudo is a small open bay, with a good landing-place. Northerly wdnds throw in a heavy swell. Its situation is pointed out by a high, peaked hill, called Gobernador, immediately over the port. Pichidanque, sometimes called Herradura, has a rock near the middle, on which, at low tide, there are but fifteen feet of water : it is in a line between the north end of the little island in front of the harbour, and a gully at the north-east side, through which a river runs from Quilimari, and four cables' lengths from the island. The tide rises five feet, and syzygial high water is at nine. The Silla, over Pichidanque, I have already mentioned Cp. 426). Conchali is an exposed roadstead, seldom used but by smugglers. The landing is everywhere bad, excepting in one httle cove at the north side of the bay. • Short characteristic names are preferable to letters, or numbers, because thej' help the memory so much.