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

230 APPENDIX, the other nearly over Isla Grande. (Head to the westward during the night with light variable airs.) July 4. A perfect calm aU day, and no observation : we were drifted abreast of the bluff under the Morro by the afternoon ; it has some very curious white patches, which are seen at some distance ; indeed the whole of the land is very remarkable. Plyed to the south- ward during the night, wind light. July 5. Wind light from the N.N.E., and gloomy weather; at 10 A.M., passed one mile to the N.E. of the reef; north of the Caxa Grande rock we had eighteen fathoms, between it and the Isla Grande, -with, fifty-seven outside, and sixteen in. As we stood in we could not, from the mast-head, see any thing of the breakers said to be off the Caxa Grande rock : as the breakers ran high on the other reefs ; had there been any thing of the sort there, we should most likely have seen it : all the information we have been able to get on the .subject denies their existence. Detached, but close to the N.E. part of the anchorage point, are two black rocks, ten feet high ; they show well from the northward. About twenty-five miles to the N.E. of the Morro, are two singular peaks : they are higher than any of the other land ; the summit of the northern one is very pointed, and the southern is rather saddle-topped ; these, it would seem, mu6t be very remarkable from seaward. We anchored in seven fathoms, Caxa Grande rock bearing S. 67° W., distant three cables from the two rocks before-mentioned. As Iquique is situated on a part of the coast where calms are fre- quent, and exposed to a constant swell from the westward, there may perhaps exist some difficulty in finding it ; indeed, from this very cir- cumstance, persons do not go sufficiently near the shore, although the position of the spot is nearly correct in the common charts. The centre of the island Hes in lat. 20° 12' 30" S. and long. 70° 15' W. The sUght indentation the bay makes in this high precipi- tous coast is not perceptible from an offing of nine or ten miles, neither is the collection of sand behind and south of the bay likely to catch the eye of a stranger : should there happen to be a vessel there, her dark masts against the white sand make an excellent mark ; without which, there is nothing to guide a stranger until he gets within sight of the church steeple, or some white patches in the cliffs under Ta-