remarkable hill, nearly level at the top, but near the east extreme
of it there are two small hummocks; the east fixU is very steep,
the end of another range of hills shews to the northward. To
the S.W., apparently forming part of the same range, is another
hill, the west side of which forms a steep hluff; in coming from
the southward, these hiUs will be seen in clear weather, before
the land about the port can be made out. From a fisherman, who
knew the coast to the southward, we learned that the small port we
passed the night in, to the northward of Port Herradura, is called
Matamores; the high point to the southward of it is Point Matamores.
Tortoral, or Tortoral baxo, is the bay betweenit and Pajonal.
He described it as havmg always a heaiTT surf in it, and the landing
bad. The south point of the Bay of Salado, with the Islet off it,
is caUed Point losCachos. He was in the vessel that took the cargo
of copper from Bai-ranquilla. She was a large brig of 300 tons,
and was anchored ofif the mouth of the cove. The island to the
north of CopiapoBay, caUed Isla Grande, is very remarkable; it
has a small nipple on each extreme, that on the eastern is the
highest: to the westward of the middle of the island, there is another
small round nipple.
The channel between Isla Grande and the main is clear of danger
in the middle; but such a heavy sweU rolls through, that it is
scarcely fit for any vessel. Off the north extreme of the island
there is a reef under water, projecting two cables to the eastward;
at a cable's length distance from the reef we had eight fathoms ; the
point on the main appeared to have no danger off it; the rocks to
the southward of it are inside the hne of the points. The swell m
the channel was by far the worst we had experienced on this coast:
to the northward of the island there are several smaU rocks, one of
which is high. There is no danger within a quarter of a mile of
them. . , J .
Tlie point on the main, to the northward of the island, is very
rocky • on the S.W. point there are two rugged hummocks, and
several rocks and islets close to the shore, but no danger outside
them • from this to Point Morro, the shore is steep and chify, with
remarkable patches of white rock in the chfFs to the south of the
point, which is steep, with rugged lumps on its summit. The
Morro rises suddenly, a little in-shore.
On rounding the pomt, you open a deep bay which runs m to tlie
•M'PENmX. 221
S.E.; there ai-e several small rocky patches in it, and at the north end
of the long sandy beach there is a piece of rocky coast, the north extreme
point of which has a small island ofif it. The entrance to Port
Yngles is to the southward of this ponit, round a low rocky point, to the
southward of which, close in-shore, there is a small island off a sandy
cove ; there is a rock a-wash at high-water, about a cable's length to
the N.W. of the south extreme point, but it always shows; after
passing this rock the point is steep-to, and may be approached within
a cable's length. Tlie harbour inside forms several coves, in the first of
which, on the starboard hand going in, there is anchorage for small
vessels, but the bottom is stony and bad. There is a low island to
the S.E. of this cove, above which is the best anchorage, with
southerly winds. About half-way between it and a projecting rocky
point on the east shore, small vessels may go much closer into the
cove, to the southward of the island, where the landing is very good.
The bay in the N.E. comer is well sheltered from northerly winds,
and no sea could ever get up in i t ; but the landing is not so good
there, the best is at a rocky point at the south end of the northernmost
beach, where there is a small cove among the rocks perfectly
smooth : it is by far the best harbour, but there is no fresh water
near. The cove at the head of the harbour is very shoal; no
vessel should go higher up than abreast of the projecting rocky
pomt on the east shore, where she would have four and five
fathoms in mid-channel. The bottom is hard sand, and may be seen
in twelve fathoms water, which makes it appear very shallow. In
the entrance there are eighteen fathoms close to the shore on both
sides.
Port Caldera is close to the northward of Port Yngles, and is
directly round the point with the small island ofl^ i t ; it is a fine bay,
well sheltered, hut the entrance more open than Port Yngles, and
the landmg not so good. There was a' cargo of copper ore ready to
be shipped in the south comer of the bay ; but no vessel had then
ever taken a cargo away. There were a few fishermen hving in a hole
in the clilF during the fishing season: the only vessel they had ever
seen m the port was a brigantine, with provisions for the mines.
No vessel had ever been in Port Yngles. There is water near
the beach, on the east side, but it is very salt; it appears wonderful
how they can make use of it, but they have no other nearer than
Copiapo. The land is entirely covered with loose sand, except a few
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