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434 S T . F R A N C I S B A Y — D I E G O I I A M I R E Z . April 1830.
souiKlings, does that plan correspond with the place now calfed
St. Francis Bay; but it does agree very closely,
the date of its being made, with the part I have ™®"tioned
The words Cape Horn may have misled the compiler, as
plan does not show any latitude or longitude and tho who Lee visited the place, previously to the Beagle s arrival, had
not heen in Nassau Bay. .
“ 26th. Another fine day. I went up the peak again and
obtained the desired angles; but Diego R " "
nearly as distant ^as when seen from the top of Henderson
Island. Meanwhile the Beagle was unmoored aiid got undei
sail. I reached her outside the cove, and stood to «^awar ,
hut the day was too fine, there being little or no wind til
dark, when a light breeze carried us out of the L L T n e
for the Diego Ramirez Islands, anxious to profit 1 y
weather, and examine them more closely.
“ 27th. The water being smooth, we had a good opp J
of taking angles for placing the coast ^et'veen West C j and
Cape Spencer, which completed what was wanting m that p a it,
afterwards, we again steered towards the Diego Ramiiez.
“ 28th. A fine morning with a fresh breeze, just such as we
desired. Having kept our wind under easy siul during the
night, we bore up, and, at daylight ran ^
the rocky cluster, the wind being * e N .E . We hove-t
frequently to take angles and soundings, and sailed quite lou
Le'islands at theaveragedistanceof half amile, and then stood
away to the northward. They are quite similar to the Hde-
fonsL; the top of a ridge of hills showing above the water and
broken through by the sea. The two largest are about rtvo
hundred feet high, and are covered with tussac: there is a
shingle beach on one (the second in size), where a boat may be
haufed up in safety ; and there is enough good water on ^
east side of the same island to supply thirty men. A furious
surf breaks against the west shore, and sends a spray over t _
whole island. There is no sheltered anchorage for a vessel.
t i l ough she might bring up in deep water on the east j n
side of tlie group, for a short time, she would even then usk
April 1830. C L I .M A T E S T . J O A C H I M C O V E . 435
losing her anchor. The least water I found was fifty fathoms,
though Weddell’s chart shows that there is less than forty off"
the S.E. end. The heavy swell prevented my landing ; but the
appearance of the rocks induced me to suppose that they were
greenstone. I f not of that nature, and similar to the rock
about Cape Horn, they may be of very hard sandstone.
“ 29th. In this climate, during the few intervals of settled
fine weather, the sky is frequently overcast soon after sunset, and
a slight shower falls. I noticed this frequently here , as well as
during the preceding April, May, and June, in the Strait.
“ We stood into the bay which lies between False Cape and
New Year Sound; but it offered nothing inviting to a ship,
being a leeward bight, with rocks and islets scattered along
it near the shore. Perhaps there is shelter for a vessel amongst
them ; but I would not choose their neighbourhood, if it could
be avoided, as the bay is exposed to the S.W. winds, which on
this coast are the worst. The breeze freshening, and drawing
to the northward, enabled us to reach Cape Spencer in the
evening, when, as the weather promised ill, I was glad to
anchor in eighteen fathoms, over a sandy' bottom, off the
entrance of San Joachim Cove.
“ Expecting wind, we sent top-gaUant masts on deck,
braced up, and veered to eighty fathoms. After eight the
weather cleared, and appeared likely to remain fine, but the
glasses continued to fall. At ten a sudden heavy squall came
over the land, and the tops of the hills became thickly covered
with clouds. Successive furious gusts followed: we let go a
second anchor, and veered a whole cable on each. The squalls
came most violently from the S.W., and in half an hour the
bank of clouds disappeared; but a strong gale from S.W: continued
till daylight, when it moderated. Cape Spencer protected
us very well, both from wind and sea; should a ship
wish to enter San Martin Cove, and the wind or daylight fail
her, she will find this spot a convenient stopping-place.
‘ 30th. The Beagle unmoored, got under sail, and stood
towards Cape Horn: at noon she was close to the famous
Cape, with beautifully fine weather, more like the climate of
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