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y m l
S tr a it o f M ag a lh a e n s th e a v e rag e h e ig h t m ay b e ta k e n a t th re e
th o u s a n d fe e t ; th o u g h th e re a re some m o u n ta in s w hich m ay be
b e tw e e n six a n d seven th o u s an d fe e t h ig h .
B y a re fe ren c e to th e c h a r t i t w ill b e seen th a t a b o u t th e p a ra lle l
o f 40° th e co ast b e g in s to assume, a n d re ta in s to its fu r th e s t e x tre m
ity , a v e ry d ifferen t ap p e a ra n c e from th a t w h ic h i t ex h ib its to
th e n o rthw a rd , w h e re th e sea, w h ic h is k e p t a t a d is ta n c e from th e
C o rd ille ra b y a b e lt o f c om p a ra tiv e ly low la u d fo r co n tin u o u s
in te rv a ls o f some h u n d r e d miles, washe s a lo n g u n b ro k e n shore,
a ffo rd in g n e ith e r s h e lte r fo r vessels n o r la n d in g fo r b o a ts ; b u t, to
th e so u thw a rd o f th a t p a ra lle l, its w a ters re a ch to th e v e ry b ase o f th e
g r e a t c h a in o f th e A n d e s, a n d , flowing as i t w e re in to th e d e e p rav in e s
th a t w in d th ro u g h its ramifications, fo rm n um e ro u s channe ls, sounds,
a n d g u lfs , an d , in m a n y instance s, in su la te la rg e p o rtio n s o f la n d . I n
fa c t, th e w hole o f th is space is fro n te d b y la rg e islan d s a n d e x te n s
iv e a rch ip e lag o e s , o f w h ic h th e m o s t consp icu o u s a re th e g re a t
is la n d o f Chiloe, W e llin g to n Is la n d , th e A rc h ip e la g o o f M a d r e de
D io s, H a n o v e r Is la n d , a n d Q u e en A d e la id e A rc h ip e la g o . T h e
la s t forms th e w e s te rn e n tra n c e o f th e S tr a it o n its n o r th side.
T h e la n d o f T r e s M o n tes, h ow e v e r, is a n ex c e p tio n : i t is a p e n in su
la, a n d is th e o n ly p a r t o f th e c o n tin e n t w ith in th e ab o v e lim its
th a t is ex p o se d to th e oc ean’s swell. I t fo rm s th e n o r th e rn p a r t o f
th e G u lf o f P e ñ a s , a n d is jo in e d to th e m a in b y th e nai-row is thm u s
o f O fq u i, o v e r w h ic h th e In d ia n s , in tra v e llin g a lo n g th e coast,
c a r ry th e ir canoes, to a v o id th e e x trem e d a n g e r o f passin g ro u n d
th e p e n in su la . I t was h e re th a t B y ro n a n d h is sh ipw re ck e d comp
a n io n s c rossed o v e r w ith th e ir In d ia n g u id e s : b u t i t is a ro u te
th a t is n o t m u c h fr e q u e n te d ; fo r th is p a r t o f th e coast is v e ry
th in ly in h a b ite d , a n d th e tro u b le o f p u llin g to pieces a n d re c o n s
tru c tin g th e canoes,* a n o p e ra tio n ab so lu te ly ne ce ssa ry to h e
p e rfo rm ed , is so g re a t, th a t I Im ag in e it is o n ly d o n e on occasions
o f im p o rtan c e . I n th is w ay th e p ira g u a s w h ic h c o nveyed th e
m issio n ary v o y ag ers to th e G u a ian e co Is lan d s w e re tra n s p o rte d
* During our examination of this part, our boats ascended the river
San Tadeo, and endeavoured in vain to find any traces of the ro ad ; an
almost impenetrable jungle of reeds and underwood lined the banks of
the river, and time was too valuable to admit of further delay, in search
o f an object comparatively of minor importance.
o v e r th e is thm u s ; th e p a rtic u la rs o f w h ic h a re fu lly d e ta iled in
th e ir jo u rn a ls .*
T h e riv e r S a n T ad e o , a lth o u g h o f small size, b e in g n a v ig a b le
o n ly fo r e lev en miles, is th e la rg e s t r iv e r o f th e co ast so u th o f th e
a rc h ip e la g o o f Childe, a n d th e re fo re m e rits a p a r tic u la r d e sc rip tio n .
A t seven m ile s from th e m o u th i t is fe d b y tw o s tre am s o r to rren ts ,
th e c u rre n ts o f w h ich a re so s tro n g th a t a fa s t-p u llin g b o a t can
h a rd ly m a k e w ay ag a in st it. O n e o f th e se stre am s tak e s its ris e in
a m o u n ta in o u s ra n g e , o v e r w h ich p e rh a p s th e c om m u n ic a tin g ro a d
p a s s e s ; a n d th e o th e r is th e d ra in o f an ex ten siv e g la c ie r o r p la in
o f ice o f fifteen m ile s in e x te n t. T h e r iv e r fa lls in to th e G u lf o f
S t. E s te v a n o v e r a shallow b a r , u p o n w h ic h th e re is scarcely tw o
fe e t w a te r, a n d a t low tid e is p ro b a b ly d ry .
A t th e h e a d o f S t. E s te v a n G u lf is S t. Q u in tin S o u n d ; b o th
w e re ex am in ed a n d fo u n d to afford e x c e lle n t a n ch o rag e , a n d th e y
a re b o th o f e asy access sh o u ld a sh ip , p a s s in g u p th e coast, find
h e r s e lf u p o n a le e sh o re a n d n o t ab le to w e a th e r th e la n d , as was
th e case w ith th e ill- fa te d W ag e r, t
T h e G u a ian e co islan d s fo rm th e s o u th e rn h e a d o f th e G u lf o f
P e ñ a s ; th e n follows W e llin g to n Is la n d , s e p a ra te d from th e m a in
b y th e M esier C h an n e l, w h ic h h a d n o t b e en p re v io u s ly e x p lo re d ,
its m o u th o n ly b e in g la id d ow n in th e c h a rts, compiled from th e
in fo rm a tio n o f M ach ad o , a p ilo t w h o wa s s en t in 1769 b y th e
V ic e ro y o f P e ru to e x am in e th e co ast from Childe to th e S tr a it
• Agüeros, Descripción Historial de la Provincia y Archipiélago de
Chilóe, 1791, p. 229.
t T h e p r e c i s e s i t u a t i o n o f t h e m - e c k o f t h i s v e s s e l h a d h i t h e r t o b e e n
v e r y v a g u e l y m a r k e d o n o u r c h a r t s : a c a r e f u l p e r u s a l , h o w e v e r , o f B y r o n s
n a r r a t i v e , a n d o f A g ü e r o s ’ a c c o u n t o f t h e M i s s i o n a r y V o y a g e s i n 1779,
s u f f i c i e n t l y p o i n t s o u t t h e p l a c e w i t h i n a f e w m i l e s . I t i s o n t h e n o r t h
s i d e , n e a r t h e w e s t e n d o f t h e e a s t e r n m o s t o f t h e G u a i a n e c o i s l a n d s , w h i c h
w e n a m e d , i n c o n s e q u e n c e . W a g e r I s l a n d . A t P o r t S a n t a B a r b a r a , s e v e n t
e e n m i l e s t o t h e s o u t h w a r d o f t h i s g r o u p , a v e r y o l d w o r m - e a t e n b e a m
o f a v e s s e l w a s f o u n d , w h i c h t h e r e i s r e a s o n t o t h i n k m a y h e a r e l i c o f
t h a t u n f o r t u n a t e s h i p . I t w a s o f E n g l i s h o a k , a n d w a s f o u n d t h r o w n u p
a b o v e t h e h i g h - w a t e r m a r k u p o n t h e r o c k s a t t h e e n t r a n c e o f t h e p o r t .
N o o t h e r v e s t i g e w a s d e t e c t e d b y u s ¡— t h e m i s s i o n a r i e s , h o w e v e r , f o u n d
b r o k e n g l a s s b o t t l e s , a n d o t h e r e v i d e n t t r a c e s o f t h e w r e c k . A t C h i l ó e I
s a w a m a n w h o h a d f o r m e d o n e o f t h i s e n t e r p r i s i n g p a r t y , a n d o b t a i n e d
f r o m h im a c u r i o u s a n d i n t e r e s t i n g a c c o u n t o f t h o s e v o y a g e s .