Ill I I
!' I
W e fo u n d th e b a rom e te r in th is p a s s a g e a n 'in v a lu a b le in s t r u m e n t ; n p o n n o oc c a sio n
d id i t d e c e iv e u s. I n p a s s in g th e s e la titu d e s m y a t t e n t io n w a s d r aw n to th e c h a n g e s in tlie
tem p e r a tu r e o f th e w a te r , w h ic h I u s u a lly fo u n d to p r e c e d e a s h i f t o f w in d from so u th to n o r th ,
a n d v ic e v e r s a , e v e n b e fo re th a t o f th e tem p e r a tu r e o f th e a i r . I s td ijo in a s h o r t s t a tem e n t
o f th e s e c h a n g e s fo r th e s a tis fa c tio n o f s u c h a s m a y f e e l in t e r e s t e d in th em .
O n th e S9th o f A u g u st, a t eig h t a .m . th e tem p eratu re o f th e surface was 58°, the
w e ath er moderate and cloudy, an d the wind W . N. W . ; from tliis time to midnight it
g ra d u ally fell u n til it stood a t 48». T h e wind now increased, and th e n e x t morning
shifted to S. W . and S. S. W ., and blew fresh g a le s : th e breeze continuing, on th e S ls t
th e tem p e ra tu re o f th e surface u n d e rw en t a fu rth e r fall of 34"; and we had hard
squalls, with hail and sleet. I t afterwards fluctuated four days between 46» and 494°,
d u rin g which time th e winds we re variable from S. S, W . to N . W . by N., and E. N. E.
— the we ather for th e most p a r t moderate and cloudy; but on th e Sth (S ept.) the temp
e ra tu re (always alluding to th a t o f th e surface of the sea) rose to 53», and the wind came
from N. E . by N. and N ., b u t light. T h e n e x t day it shifted to S. E . by S., and th e temp
e ra tu re ra th e r decreased, b u t th e breezes we re light. On the afternoon o f the 7 th , afte r a
calm, d u rin g wliieh il rema ined a t 50», tliere was a decrease of 8»; an d tliirty-sito liours
afte r a gale from S. by E. suddenly arose. D u rin g the live following days it was nearly
s tationary, a t the tem p eratu re o f 394», and th e wind was variable from W . N. W ., S. W .,
an d W . blowing h ard . From noon on th e 12th to four A. M. dn th e IS tli it fell to 36», and
th a t n ig h t we had a gale a t W .b y S .; which continued all th e n e x t day. A t n ig h t there
was a fu rth e r decrease o f 4», when th e wind veered to S . b y W ., and blew s tro n g galos. T h e
tem p eratu re k ep t down a t 35» u n til mid n ig h t of the 15th, when it rose 5»; an d the 16th, a t
four A. M., the wind changed to W . N . W . an d N .W . by W . T h e tem p eratu re, however,
soon decreased again 4», and a t n in e A. At., th e following day tlie wind came from S. W . by S.
and S. S. E ,, whe re it continued, and th e temperature remained n ea rly stationary until
we made Cape H o rn , when it rose to 42».
I t w o u ld , p e rh a p s , b e to o h a z a rd o u s to a s s e r t u p o n s u c h s h o r t e x p e r ie n c e th a t th e s e
c h a n g e s a r e th e fo r e ru n n e r s o f s h if ts o f w in d , th o u g h i fo u n d s im ila r v a tia lio n s a t t e n d th e
s o u th e r ly g a le s off S p itz h e rg e n , w h e r e w e h a d a lw a y s in d ic a tio n o f th e i r a p p ro a c h b y th e in c
re a s e o f th e t em p e r a tu r e o f th e s e a* . I am , h ow e v e r , p e r s u a d e d th a t , lik e th e b a rom e te r , i t
s p e a k s a la n g u a g e w h ic h , th o u g h a t tim e s n o t th e m o s t in to llig ih le , m a y n e v e r th e le s s o fte n
p ro v e u s e fu l.
11
II :!
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ffl'K
« [ i l l
HOME PASSAGE FROM COQUIMBO TO RIO JANEIRO.
J u n e 3d to Julij 2 \s t, 1828.
T h i s p a s s a g e w a s c o n s id e r a b ly l e n g th e n e d b y n o t g e t t in g to th e w e s tw a rd in low
la titu d e s . F rom th e tim e o f l e a v in g C o q u im b o th e r e w a s a d iffic u lty in m a k in g p ro g r e s s in
th a t d ir e c tio n , a n d w e could s c a r c e ly w e a th e r M a s s a F u e r a . F rom h e r e th e w e a th e r b e c am e
b o is te ro u s , th e b r e e z e g e n e r a lly b e g in n in g a tW . N .W ., a n d e n d in g in a m o d e r a te g a le a t S .W . ;
th e n b a c k in g a g a in , a n d in th e c o u rs e o f tb e tw e n ty - fo u r lio u rs f in ish in g a t S . W ., b low in g
• See also p. 237 of this work.
hard, as u su a l; so th a t what distance was gained to the westward in the early p a rt o f the day
was lost toward the close of it. In thi.s manner we were driven down upon the coast, and obliged
to stand to the westward, when, had we been a humlrecl miles fu rth e r off shore, we should
have had a fair wind. O n the 22d Ju n e we had an easterly wind, which veered to S. E .,
and drove us away to the latitu d e 56« 18' S. and longitude 75" W ., when we encountered
S. by E. winds, which ca rried us past Cape Ho rn on the 30th. O u r winds we re now fa ir;
b u t off th e Falkland Islands th ey were variable, u n til th ey settled in th e E. S. E . qu a rte r.
W ith this we advanced to 35« N., when we encountered N. E. and N. W . gales, with heavy
cross seas, and then several pamperos, which we re a ttended by vivid lightning. W e afte rwards
made progress to the northwa rd, and arrived a t Rio Jan e iro on the 21st Ju ly .
In this passage, which was made in the depth of winter, the g re a te st cold was 21°. From
Cape Horn to the F alkland Islands we had thick showers o f snow, and had we been
bound the opposite way, I have no doubt we should have felt th e weather severely. T h e
barometer, as on th e former occasion, proved an invaluable monitor. From the time we
quitted Massa F u e ra un til we we re off S ta ten Lan d , th e winds were advantageous for making
tlic passage to the Pacific, and so far they favour the opinion o f th e w in te r time bein g the
most desirable for this purpose. T h e cu rren t in this passage ran to the south-east to the latitude
46" S., th en north two days, and from 48« to 57° S., between N. W . and S. W ., a t the rate
o f th irteen miles a day. From 57° S. and long. 68° W., th e y ran to the N. E ., un til we had
passed th e Cape, and th en we ste rly and north-westerly to the Falkland Islands. Off the
R iv e r Piute th ey ran to the S. W . an d S. On o u r arrival a t Ilio Jan e iro the whole effect of
tlie cu rren t from Coquimbo was S. 62« W . eighty-two miles.
F rom th e e x p e r ie n c e o f th e s e tw o p a s s a g e s ro u n d th e H o rn , I am o f o p in io n th a t a sh ip
b o u n d to th e P a c ific sh o u ld p a s s in s id e th e F a lk la n d Is la n d s , a n d ro u n d S ta te n L a n d , as
c lo s e ly a s p o s s ib le ; a s sh e w ill m o s t l ik e ly e n c o u n te r S. W . w in d s d ir e c tly th e P a c ific is o p en .
A n o r th -w e s t w in d off th e F a lk la n d s will, I th in k , g e n e r a l ly v e e r to W . am i S . W . o n a p p
r o a c h in g S t a te n L a n d . W i t h S . W . w in d s o ff S ta te n L a n d , n o th in g is le f t o f c o u rs e b u t
to s ta n d to th e s o u thw a rd . I s h o u ld n o t, h ow e v e r , r e c om m e n d k e e p in g th is b o a rd lo n g e r
th a n to g e t a n offing, e x c e p t w e s tin g w a s to b e m ad e b y i t ; a n d i f n o t, 1 w o u ld g o a b o u t
d i r e c tly a m ile o f lo n g itu d e w a s to b e g a in e d o n th e in - s h o r e t a c k ; a v o id in g , h ow e v e r , a n e a r
a p p ro a c h to T e r r a d e l F u e g o , e a s tw a rd o f C a p e H o r n , o n a c c o u n t o f th e n o r th - e a s t s e t
th ro u g h S t r a i t L e M a ir e , u -ith s o u th e r ly w in d s . I s e e n o g o o d r e a so n fo r g o in g to a h ig h
s o u th e rn l a titu d e , i f i t c a n b e a v o id e d w ith o u t loss o f lo n g itu d e . AVith r e g a rd to th e fa c t,
th a t g a le s o f w in d ave s t ro n g e r n e a r th e la n d , I ow n I c a n n o t c o n c u r in su c h a n o p in io n . O n
a com p a riso n o f th e B lo s som ’s p a s s a g e o u t w i th th a t o f a b r ig c o n iin a n d e d b y a L i e u te n a n t
P a r k e r , wdiich ro u n d e d th e H o r n a t th e s am e tim e , i t a p p e a r e d th a t w h ils t sh e w a s e.xpe-
r ic n c in g s tro n g w in d s a n d h e a v y s e a s , w h ic h w'aslied aw a y som e o f h e r b o a ts , th e B lo ssom ,
c lo s e in w ith th e la n d , h a d fin e m o d e r a te w e a th e r , a n d n o o th e r in d ic a tio n o f th e g a le s th e
H e ll e s p o n t w a s e n c o u n te r in g th a n b y a lo n g s o u th e r ly sw e ll s e t t in g u p o n th e sh o re ; a n d th a t
th e B lo ssom h a d th e a d v a n ta g e o f a w e s te r ly c u r r e n t, w h ile th e b r ig w a s p u t b a c k tw e n ty
m ile s d a ily b y o n e in th e o p p o s ite d ir e c tio n .