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

312 APPENDIX. Farther inshore are ranges of mountains always covered with snow, whose height is from two to four thousand feet, and in a few instances about six or seven thousand. With daylight and clear weather a vessel may close the shore with- out risk, because the water is invariably deep, and no rock is found, which is not so marked by sea- weed (or kelp as it is generally called), that by a good look-out at the mast-head, its situation is as clearly seen as if it were buoj'ed. By avoiding kelp you are sure of having sufficient water for the largest ships on any part of this coast. At the same time, it must be remembered that kelp grows in some places from a depth of thirty fathoms, and that on many parts of this coast you may pass through thick beds of sea-weed without having less than six fathoms water ; still it is always a sign of danger, and until the spot where it grows has been carefully sounded, it is not safe to pass over it with a ship. As an instance ; — after sounding a large bed of this weed in one of the Beagle's boats, and thinking it might be passed safely, a rock %vas found, not more than four feet in diameter, having only one fathom water over it. Viewing the coast at a distance, it appears high, rugged, covered with snow, and continuous, as if there were no islands. When near you see many inlets which intersect the land in every direction, and open into large gulfs or sounds, behind the seaward islands : and you then lose sight of the higher land, which is covered with snow throughout the year, and find the heights close to the sea thicldy wooded towards the east, though barren on their western sides, owing to the prevailing winds. These heights are seldom covered with snow, because the sea winds and the rain melt it soon after it falls. Opposite to the eastern valleys, where the land is covered with wood, and water is seen faUing down the ravines, good anchorage is generally found. But these valleys are exposed to tremendous squalls which come from the heights. The best of all anchorages on this coast is where you find good ground on the western side of high land, and are protected from the sea by low islands. It never blows near so hard against high land as from it ; but the sea on the weather side is of course very formidable, unless stopped, as I mentioned, by islets. Where the land is chiefly composed of sandstone or slate, anchor- ages abound ; where of granite, it is difficult to strilce soundings. The diiFerence between the granite and slate or sandstone hills, can be distinguished by the former being very barren and rugged,