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

222 APPENDIX. rocks on the points ; the bottom of the bay is low, but the bulls rise a Uttle inland,. and the ranges become higher as they recede from the coast : the first hill to the eastward is a very remarkable sharp-topped hiU, the sides of which are covered with sand, with two low paps to the eastward of it. They have had strong northers here for two days, and sometimes a good deal of sea in the south corner of the bay ; but in the north-east corner, which they call CalderiUo, it is then smooth; they very seldom have heavy northers. There are' fish to be got in the bay, but only with a net : in all the ports we visited we caught none alongside. Near the outer points of the ports there are rock fish to be caught, but there is always a heavy swell in such places. Point Cabeza de Vaca is a remarkable point, about twelve miles to the northward of Caldera : it has two small hummocks near its extreme ; inside them the land is nearly level for some distance in- shore, where it rises to several low hills, which form the extremity of a range. The coast between Caldera and the point forms several small bays, with rocky points between them, off all of which there are rocks a short distance : there is no danger within a quarter of a mile from Point Cabeza de.Vaca. To the northward of the point there is a small rocky bay, called Tortoralillo, oiF the north entrance point of which there is a reef of rocks, with a high rock at the extreme of it, which extends above a quarter of a mile from the shore : about half a mile to the north-west of this there is a heavy breaker when there is much swell. To the northward of this the coast is steep and rocky for three or four miles, with a high range of bills running close to the shore ; then there is a small cove, called Obispito, with a white rock on the south point of it : to the northward of this the land is low and very rocky, with breakers about a quarter of a mile from the shore. About two miles from the cove there is a point, with a small white islet off it ; to the northward of which the coast trends to the eastward, and forms the small cove of Obispo, in which we anchored, but it is not fit for any vessel. There was a fire on shore in the night, but we saw no ore, and ias the landing was bad we did notattempt it. There is a very high sand hill, with the summit stony, a little in-shore of the cove, and to the northward of it a higher range of stony hiUs running close to the * For more inronnation respecting- the vicinity of Copiapo, see pages 22D and 230.