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were insufficient to enable them to decide with any degree of
certainty. After looking round this bay, they continued to
the eastward, and passed a point beyond which there was apparently
a wide channel; having run about six miles down it
without discovering any termination, they hauled their boat up
on the beach for the night.
On the 8th, two canoes were noticed on the west shore;
but seeing strangers the natives, apparently much Irightened,
all landed, except an old man; and taking with them what
they most valued, hid themselves among the brush-wood, leaving
their canoes fastened to the sea-weed. By some Fuegian
words of invitation, the men were, however, induced to approach
and traffic, receiving for their otter skins whatever could be
spared. In appearance and manner these Indians were exactly
similar to the Fuegians ; and by their canoes only, which were
built of planks, could they be distinguished as belonging to
another tribe.
After leaving the natives, the boat passed Cape Farnest,
and Lieutenant Skyring observed a wide channel leading north
and then N.N.AV. ;* also, another opening to the eastward.
The wind being easterly, he ran some distance to the northward,
to gain more knowledge of the first inlet; and having
gone ten or twelve miles from Cape Farnest, and observing
the opening for eight miles beyond to be as wide as where they
then were, he concluded it to be a channel, or else a deep sound
terminated by low land, for there was evidently a division in
• He re is certainly the Ancoti sin salida of Sarmiento, whose journa l
describes the inlet as terminating in a cove to the north, p. 142. 1 he
mountain of Ano Nuevo cannot he m istaken; indeed the whole of the
coast is so well described by the ancient mariner, th a t we have little difficulty
in deteiTnining the greater number of places he visited. In all cases
ive have, of course, p reserved his names. Th e ch art compiled by A dmiral
Burney is a remarkable instance of the care which th a t author took in
a irangiug it, and hoiV ingeniously and correctly he has displayed his
ju d gm en t; it is also a proof th a t our favourite old voyager, Sarmiento,
was at least correct in his descriptions, although he appears to have been
quite ignorant of the variation of the compass. — See Burney Coll.
Voyages, p. 31 ; and Sarmiento, p. 162.
the mountains, such as to justify this belief. Returning, they
entered the smaller opening to the eastward, and were almost
assured of its being a channel ; for when they were between
the points, many porpoises and seals were observed, and a tide
was found setting westward, at the rate of two knots. At dark,
they hauled their boat on the beach of an excellent bay, at the
north side of the narrow reach, and secured her for the night.
On the 9th, shortly after daylight, they set out in a N.B.
direction to ascertain the truth of their supposition; and before
noon knew, beyond a doubt, that they were correct in their
belief, being in the narrows of a channel before unknown, that
had eluded'’ Sarmiento’s notice. These narrows, which Lieutenant
Skyring felt assured would lead to a large opening, were
upwards of three miles in length, and generally about one-third
of a mile in breadth. A strong tide took the boat through ;
and at the N.B. extremity, where the narrows were reduced to
four hundred yards in width, the water, although a neap-tide,
rushed at the rate of four knots, forming whirling eddies, which
were carefully avoided by Lieutenant Skyring. A t spring-tide,
the strength of these rapids would probably not be less than
seven knots.
Having passed through them, a clear channel was'seen,
upwards of two miles wide, running to the N.b. B. for, at least,
eight miles, and then turning directly eastward, between moderately
high land. Another channel, nearly a mile and a half
wide, trended to the S.E. for two or three miles, and then
also turned to the eastward. Here they stopped. Lieutenant
Skyring regretted extremely not being able to prosecute the
discovery, and have one more view from the eastern point of
the N.E. channel ; but as only one day’s provisions remained,
it would have been imprudent to delay his return. It was evident,
that they had passed through the range of the Cordilleras,*
for to the eastward the country appeared totally different,
the highest hill not being above seven hundred feet.
Tlie opening to the N.E. was thought to communicate with the
waters’ lately discovered by Captain Fitz Roy. The latitude
^ ‘ Cordillera Nevada ’ of Sarmiento.
Ml