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

APPENDIX. 239 hug the land close to ensure fetching the anchorage off the village at the beginning of the ridge ; baffling ^\^nds are frequent, which may throw you near the shore, but do not signify, as the water is smooth and the shore steep-to. The best anchorage is with the extreme of Pisagua Point, N. 7° 30' W. ; and Pichalo Point, W. 1S° S., two cables' length off the village, in eight fathoms, by which you will avoid a rock with four feet water on it, lying off the sandy cove at the distance of two cables. North of this, at the distance of two miles and a half, is the gully and river of Pisagua, the water of which supplies the neighbouring inhabitants ; it is not, when at its greatest strength, more than ten feet across, and then does not overflow, but merely filters through the beach into the sea. Generally speaking, it is dry nine months in the year ; weUs are dug near it where water, such as it is, may always be found : but no vessel should trust to watering at this place, as, be- sides its unwholesomeness, the difficulty and expense attending it would be very great. From this to Point Gordo the coast is in low broken cliffs, with a few scattered rocks oiF it, and ranges of high hills near. Point Gordo is a low jutting point, where a long line of cliflF, several himdred feet high, commences ; which continues, with only two breaks, to Arica. These breaks or gullies, as they are called, are veiy remarkable, and are useful in making Arica from the southward. The first is the gully of Camarones, which hes seven miles north of Point Gordo, and is about a mile in width, running at right angles to the coast towards the mountains, with a stream of water running down it, and a quantity of brush-wood on its banks ; it forms a slight sandy bay, scarcely sufficient to shelter a vessel from the heavy swell. The Gully of Victor is the other ; it lies N. 17° W., twenty-nine miles from that of Camarones, and fifteen miles from Arica ; it is about three quarters of a mile in width, and from a high bold point, called Point Lobo, jutting out to the southward, forms a tolerably good anchorage for small vessels ; it also runs toward the mountains in a similar manner to that of Camarones, and Uke it has a small stream running through, with verdure on its banks. Vessels boimd to Arica should endeavour to make this gully or ravine, and when within three or four leagues of it they will see Arica Head, which appears as a steep blufi^, with a round hill in shore, called Monte Gordo. Upon nearer approach the island Huano will be observed, joined to