﻿Z 
  VOYAGE 
  OF 
  H.M.3. 
  ' 
  ALERT. 
  

  

  During 
  our 
  further 
  voyage 
  through 
  the 
  South 
  Atlantic 
  a 
  course 
  

   was 
  held 
  which 
  brought 
  us 
  over 
  the 
  Hotspur 
  and 
  Victoria 
  Banks 
  — 
  

   submei-ged 
  coral-reefs 
  which 
  are 
  situated 
  between 
  the 
  parallels 
  of 
  

   ITg" 
  and 
  12° 
  S. 
  lat., 
  and 
  are 
  about 
  ISO 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  

   Brazil. 
  In 
  these 
  two 
  places 
  we 
  plied 
  our 
  dredges 
  in 
  depths 
  ranging 
  

   from 
  35 
  to 
  39 
  fathoms, 
  obtaining 
  thereby 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  zoolo- 
  

   gical 
  specimens, 
  among 
  which 
  were 
  several 
  novelties 
  in 
  the 
  classes 
  

   of 
  Sponges 
  and 
  Polyzoa. 
  The 
  collection 
  made 
  at 
  these 
  stations 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  special 
  interest, 
  as 
  it 
  helped 
  to 
  fill 
  up 
  a 
  gap 
  unavoid- 
  

   ably 
  left 
  by 
  the 
  ' 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  expedition 
  in 
  the 
  marine 
  zoology 
  of 
  

   the 
  South 
  Atlantic. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  27th 
  November 
  we 
  anchored 
  in 
  the 
  esti;ary 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  

   Plate, 
  off 
  Monte 
  Video, 
  where 
  we 
  remained 
  until 
  the 
  14th 
  Decem- 
  

   ber. 
  Sailing 
  on 
  the 
  latter 
  date, 
  we 
  shaped 
  a 
  course 
  for 
  the 
  Falkland 
  

   Islands, 
  and 
  arrived 
  at 
  Stanley 
  Harbour 
  on 
  the 
  26th 
  inst. 
  A 
  few 
  

   weeks 
  prior 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  our 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  Falklands 
  a 
  peculiar 
  

   avalanche 
  of 
  semifluid 
  peat 
  had 
  poured 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  summit 
  

   of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  low 
  hills, 
  laying 
  waste 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  settlement. 
  

  

  AVe 
  again 
  put 
  to 
  sea 
  on 
  the 
  evening 
  of 
  the 
  27th 
  December, 
  and 
  

   steering 
  to 
  the 
  eastward, 
  entered 
  the 
  Strait 
  of 
  ]\[agellan 
  on 
  the 
  

   first 
  day 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  1S79. 
  After 
  stopping 
  for 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  at 
  the 
  

   Chilian 
  settlement 
  of 
  Sandy 
  Point, 
  we 
  proceeded 
  to 
  our 
  surveying- 
  

   ground 
  among 
  the 
  channels 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Patagonia. 
  Here 
  

   we 
  spent 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  succeeding 
  years, 
  executing 
  

   surveys 
  of 
  previously 
  uncharted 
  waters, 
  and 
  adding 
  to 
  those 
  which 
  

   had 
  been 
  partially 
  eflPected 
  by 
  our 
  predecessors 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  field 
  ; 
  

   but 
  during 
  the 
  more 
  rigorous 
  winter 
  months 
  we 
  each 
  year 
  proceeded 
  

   north 
  to 
  Coquimbo, 
  on 
  the 
  Chilian 
  coast, 
  where 
  our 
  ship 
  was 
  refitted 
  

   and 
  fresh 
  supplies 
  of 
  stores 
  were 
  obtained 
  *. 
  As 
  the 
  requirements 
  

   of 
  the 
  survey 
  necessitated 
  our 
  visiting 
  and 
  anchoring 
  in 
  a 
  great 
  

   many 
  bays 
  and 
  inlets 
  in 
  this 
  remote 
  region, 
  frequent 
  opportunities 
  

   occurred 
  for 
  shallow-water 
  dredging, 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  make 
  

   a 
  large 
  collection 
  of 
  marine 
  invertebrates 
  — 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  research 
  to 
  

   which 
  our 
  attention 
  was 
  more 
  especially 
  directed, 
  as 
  we 
  were 
  aware 
  

   that 
  in 
  other 
  departments 
  of 
  biology 
  the 
  work 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  ' 
  Erebus 
  ' 
  

   and 
  ' 
  Terror,' 
  ' 
  Nassau,' 
  and 
  ' 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  of 
  our 
  own 
  navy, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  by 
  many 
  foreign 
  vessels, 
  left 
  little 
  to 
  be 
  desired. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March 
  1880 
  a 
  visit 
  extending 
  over 
  a 
  few 
  

   days 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  Skyring 
  Water, 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  almost 
  completely 
  

   landlocked 
  sheet 
  of 
  water 
  situated 
  to 
  the 
  eastward 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera, 
  

   and, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  we 
  yet 
  know, 
  only 
  accessible 
  by 
  ship 
  through 
  a 
  

   narrow 
  channel 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  communicates 
  with 
  the 
  main 
  Strait 
  of 
  

   Magellan. 
  And 
  here 
  I 
  should 
  remark 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  July 
  

   1879, 
  and 
  during 
  the 
  surplus 
  time 
  allotted 
  for 
  refitting 
  our 
  ship 
  on 
  

   the 
  Chilian 
  coast, 
  a 
  brief 
  visit 
  was 
  made 
  to 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  St. 
  Ambrose, 
  

   which 
  lies 
  about 
  500 
  miles 
  to 
  the 
  north-west 
  of 
  Coquimbo. 
  

  

  * 
  During 
  the 
  winter 
  of 
  1879-80 
  Sir 
  George 
  Nares 
  returned 
  to 
  England, 
  and 
  

   was 
  succeeded 
  in 
  the 
  command 
  of 
  the 
  'Alert 
  ' 
  by 
  Captain 
  Maclear, 
  formerly 
  of 
  

   the 
  ' 
  Challenger 
  ' 
  Expedition. 
  

  

  