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was coasted, as w e ll as th e n o rth - e a s te rn sid e o f T ie r r a del
F u e g o , b y M a la s p in a ; a n d th e c h a rts o f h is v o y ag e n o t o n ly vie
w ith a n y co n tem p o ran eo u s p ro d u c tio n fo r a c c u ra c y a n d d e ta il, b u t
a re e ven n ow q u ite sufficient fo r th e g e n e r a l p u rp o s e s o f n av ig a tion.
T h e S tr a it o f M ag a lh a e n s h a s b e en e x p lo red b y seve ra l n a v ig
a to rs ; b u t, am o n g th e n um e ro u s p la n s o f i t e x ta n t, th o se o f
S ir J o h n N a rb o ro u g h a n d C ordova a re th e most co rre c t. T h e
first is p a r tic u la r ly n o tic e d in th e la te A dm ira l B u rn e y ’s v e ry
u s e fu l w o rk , a n d th e r e s u lt o f th e la s t has b e en p u b lish e d in
th e S p a n ish la n g u a g e , a n d is e n title d “ U ltim o V iag e al E s tre ch o
d e M ag a llan e s.” A s econd voyage was also m a d e b y C o rd o v a to
th e S tr a it, th e p ro c e ed in g s o f w h ic h fo rm a n a p p en d ix to th e
a bove w o rk . I t is fu rn ish e d w ith a g o o d g e n e ra l c h a r t o f th e
c oast, a n o th e r o f th e S tr a it, a n d m a n y p la n s o f th e an ch o rag e s
w ith in it. B y ro n , W a llis, C a rte re t, a n d B o u g a in v ille , h a d a lre a d y
m a d e co n sid e rab le ad d itio n s to N a rb o ro u g h ’s p la n , from w h ich a
c h a r t h a d h e e n com p iled th a t a n sw e red a ll th e p u rp o s e s o f g e n e ra l
g e o g ra p h ic a l in fo rm a tio n , a n d m ig h t ev en h a v e b e en sufficient fo r
n a v ig a tio n : fo r th e la tte r p u rp o s e , h owever, C o rd o v a ’s c h a r t was
m u c h s u p e r io r ; b u t, b e in g p u b lis h e d in S p a in o n ly , a n d its
ex isten c e little k n ow n in E n g la n d , 1 fo u n d g re a t difficulty in p ro c
u rin g a c o p y b e fo re I sailed, fo r m y ow n use.
T h e so u th e rn coast o f T ie r r a d e l F u e g o , b e tw e e n C ap e Good
Suc c ess, th e so u th e rn lim it o f S tr a it le M a ire , a n d C ap e P il la r
a t th e w e s te rn end o f th e S tr a it o f M ag a lh a en s, was v e ry little
k n ow n . C o o k ’s v o y ag e affords several u s efu l n o tic e s o f th e coast
b e tw e e n C ap e Deseado a n d C h ris tm a s S o u n d , a n d th e D u tc h fleet
u n d e r H e rm ite p a rtia lly e x p lo re d th e n e ig h b o u rh o o d o f C ap e H o r n :
a co n fu sed c h a r t o f th is coast, h ow e v e r, w a s th e b e s t th a t co u ld
b e p u t to g e th e r ; a n d a lth o u g h M r. W e d d e ll h a s m o re re c e n tly
p u b lish e d an a c c o u n t o f th e h a rb o u rs a n d an ch o rag e s n e a r Cape
H o rn a n d N ew V e a r S o u n d , y e t little available b enefit was d e riv e d
from it, b e ca u se th e se differen t n a v ig a to rs h a v in g confined th e ir
ex am in atio n s to sm all p o rtio n s o f th e coast, i t wa s difficult to
c o n n e c t th e ir re sp e c tiv e p la n s, e ven on so small a scale as th a t o f
th e g e n e ra l c h a rt.
T h e w e ste rn coast o f S o u th Am e ric a , w h ic h is v e ry in tric a te ,
e x te n d in g from C ap e V ic to ry (th e n o rth -w e s t e n tra n c e o f th e
S tr a it o f M agalhaens) to th e is lan d o f Chiloe, m a y b e s aid to
h a v e b e en w h o lly u n k n ow n ; fo r since tb e tim e o f S a rm ien to d e
G am b o a n o th in g in th e le a s t d e sc rip tiv e o f it h a d b e e n p u b lish
ed , w ith th e ex c ep tio n o f th e b r ie f n otices o f tw o m is sio n ary
v oyages in p ira g u a s, from Chiloe to th e G u ia te c a a n d G u a ian e co
islands.
E v e ry p e rso n c o n v e rsa n t w ith S o u th A m e ric an g e o g ra p h y , m u s t
b e a c q u a in te d w ith th e v o y ag e o f S a rm ien to . F rom th e d e te rm
in e d p e rs ev e ra n c e sh ow n b y th a t e x c e lle n t a n d sk ilfu l n av ig a to r,
th ro u g h difficulties o f n o o rd in a ry n a tu re , w e a re p ossessed o f
th e d e ta ils o f a v o y a g e d ow n th e w e ste rn coast, a n d th ro u g h th e
S tr a it o f M agalhaens, th a t h a s n e v e r b e en su rp a ss ed . H is jo u rn a l
h a s fu rn ish e d u s w ith th e d e sc rip tio n o f a coast m o re difficult a n d
da n g e ro u s to ex p lo re th a n a n y w h ich co u ld re a d ily b e selected— fo r
i t was a t th a t tim e p e rfe c tly u n k n ow n , a n d is ex p o sed to a clim a te
o f p e rp e tu a l sto rm s a n d r a in : y e t th e a cc o u n t is w r itte n w ith su ch
m in u te c are a n d co rre c tn e ss, th a t w e h av e b e en e n a b led to d e te c t
u p o n o u r c h a rts a lm o st e v e ry p la c e d e s c rib e d in th e G u lf o f
’T rin id a d , a n d th e ch an n e ls to th e so u th o f it, p a rtic u la rly th e ir
te rm in a tio n a t h is A n c o n sin Salida.
I t w o u ld b e irr e le v a n t to e n te r h e re in to th e h is to ry o f S a r m
ie n to ’s vo y ag e, or in d e e d o f a n y o th e r co n n e c ted w ith th e s e
coasts. M o d e rn su rv ey s a re m ad e so m u c h m o re in d e ta il th a n
th o se o f fo rm e r y e ars, th a t little u se c an b e m ad e o f th e c h a rts
a n d p lan s th a t h av e b e e n h ith e r to fo rm ed ; b u t th e a cco u n ts o f th e
voyages co n n ec ted w ith th em a re r e p le te w ith in te re s tin g a n d
u s e fu l m a tte r, a n d m u c h am u sem en t as w e ll as in fo rm a tio n m ay b e
d e riv e d from th e ir p e ru s a l, p a r tic u la r ly S ir J o h n N a rb o ro u g h ’s
jo u rn a l, a n d B y ro n ’s rom a n tic a n d p a th e tic n a rra tiv e o f th e loss o f
th e W a g e r.
’Th e C o rd ille ra o f th e A n d e s , w h ic h is k n ow n to e x te n d from
th e n o rth e rn p a r t o f th e c o n tin e n t a lm o st to its so u th e rn e x trem ity ,
decreases in e levation n e a r th e h ig h e r so u th e rn la titu d e s . I n th e
n e ig h b o u rh o o d o f Q u ito , C h im b o ra zo a n d P in c h in c h a r e a r th e ir
sum m its to th e h e ig h t o f n e a r ly tw e n ty -tw o th o u s a n d fe e t above
th e leve l o f th e sea ; n e a r S a n tia g o d e Chile th e h ig h e s t la n d is
s u p p o se d to b e fo u rte en th o u s an d fe e t ; f a r th e r so u th , n e a r C o n cepcion,
it is low e r ; a n d n e a r Chiloe th e re a re few p a r ts o f th e
ra n g e ex c e ed in g seven th o u s an d fe e t. B e tw e e n Chiloe a n d th e
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