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

'220 APPENDIX. remarkable hill, nearly level at the top, but near the east extreme of it there are two small hummocks ; the east fall is very steep, the end of another range of hills shews to the northward. To the S.W., apparently forming part of the same range, is another hill, the west side of which forms a steep bluff ; in coming from the southward, these hUls wiU be seen in clear weather, before the land about the port can be made out. From a fisherman, who knew the coast to the southward, we learned that the small port we passed the night in, to the northward of Port Herradura, is called Matamores ; the high point to the southward of it is Point Mata- mores. Tortoral, or Tortoral baxo, is the bay between it and Pajonal. He described it as having always a heavy surf in it, and the landing bad. The south point of the Bay of Salado, vdth the islet off it, is called Point losCachos. He was in the vessel that took the carso of copper from Barranquilla. She was a large brig of 300 tons, and was anchored off the mouth of the cove. The island to the north of Copiapo Bay, called Isla Grande, is very remarkable ; it has a small nipple on each extreme, that on the eastern is the highest : to the westward of the middle of the island, there is ano- ther small round nipple. The channel between Isla Grande and the main is clear of danger in the middle ; but such a heavy swell rolls through, that it is scarcely fit for any vessel. Off the north extreme of the island there is a reef under water, projecting two cables to the eastward at a cable's length distance from the reef we had eight fathoms ; the point on the main appeared to have no danger off it ; the rocks to the southward of it are inside the line of the points. The swell in the channel was by far the worst we had experienced on this coast to the northward of the island there are several small rocks, one of which is high. There is no danger within a quarter of a mile of them. The point on the main, to the northward of the islcind, is very rocky ; on the S.W. point there are two rugged hummocks, and several rocks and islets close to the shore, but no danger outside them : from this to Point Morro, the shore is steep and cliffy, with remarkable patches of white rock in the cUffs to the south of the point, which is steep, with rugged lumps on its summit. The Morro rises suddenly, a Uttle in-shore. On rounding the point, you open a deep bay which runs in to the