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

226 APPENDIX, on landing at the point we saw a smoke on the east side of the bay, and, on pulling over there, found two fishermen, who told us that the place was Hueso Parado, and that Paposo was round another point about eight miles to the northward. On inquiring for water, they brought us some, which was better than what was used in some other places to the southward, but it was still scarcely fit for use they said it was similar at Paposo, and they thought it very good. In the south comer of the bay there appeared to be fit anchorage for vessels, and the landing good, but very open to northerly winds. No vessel had ever been there in the recollection of the men that we spoke to, neither had they heard of any ; they described Paposo as having only four ' ranchos ' and a few fishermen : the port not good. The bay that Paposo is in they called Nuestra Senora, the north point of the bay Point Rincon, and the south. Point Grande ; the projecting point, answering to the Point Nuestra Senora of the Spanish charts, they called Point Plata. The bay to the north- ward of Point Ballena, is BaUenita ; the bay in which we anchored to the northward of it is called Lavata ; the point, with the penin- sula, is Isla de las Tortolas : the point to the northward of it Point San Pedro ; the bay which we were in afterwards is Isla Blanca, and the point of Hueso Parado Bay, Point Taltal. The only place at which we observed the time of syzygial high-water, quite satisfactorily, was Huasco,* where it is 8.30, and the rise four feet at neap tides ; at springs, it rises about two feet more. From the swell on all this coast, it is very diflicult to get the time of high- water at aU near the truth ; the rise and fall appeared to be five or six feet on aU parts of the coast. The only perceptible ciurent we experienced was in the channel between Sugar Loaf Island and -the main, where there was a very slight one to the northward, not more than a quarter of a mile an hour; and this was after a fresh breeze from the southward for several days. It is said, however, by •coasters, that there is usually a set, towards the north, of about half a mUe an hour. • And here the tide was very carefully observed in a cove, where there was no swell ; yet from the small rise, the exact time could not be taken within a few minutes. The water remained at the same level about half an hour. I