Climate of Patagonian Channels. 45 



The greater part of the subsequent four months was spent 

 in the vicinity of the Trinidad Channel, which it was our special 

 duty to survey ; and as our movements during this period were 

 most erratic, and we frequently paid five or six different visits to 

 the same parts, I shall for a time abandon all chronological 

 order, and speak of events according to the places in which they 

 occurred. 



But in the first place, in order to render my narrative more 

 intelligible, I shall here give a brief general description of this 

 region, referring to its climate, natural features, and inhabitants. 



The weather is peculiar, for the rainfall is excessive, and as a 

 rule there is not more than one moderately dry day out of the 

 seven. 



The peaks and ridges of the broken-up range of mountains, 

 of which the islands and coast are formed, intercept the moisture- 

 laden clouds which are being continually wafted from seaward by 

 the prevailing westerly winds, frequent and long-continued down- 

 pours being the result. From observations taken with the rain 

 gauge, we estimate the average daily rainfall to be 0*41 inch, 

 and that of the wettest month of which we have had experience, 

 viz., the month o,f April, 0*522 inch. The annual rainfall, esti- 

 mated from the mean of eight months' observations, we find to 

 be 1 49*65 inches. The mean annual temperature, estimated simi- 

 larly from observations extending over the months of January, 

 February, March, April, May, (nine days of) October, November, 

 and December, we found to be 49*2, the extremes of temperature 

 being 36 and 60. When we reflect that the annual rainfall 

 in London is about 23*5 inches, while the yearly average of tem- 

 perature is 46*9 Fahr., we can realize the extent to which rainy 

 weather prevails in this land, and the comparative coldness of its 

 nevertheless equable climate. We were told by the master of a 

 sealing schooner that the climate of Western Fuegia varied but little 

 throughout the year, and that in his opinion the finest weather 

 was to be found in mid-winter ; and, indeed, on entering the 



