ESCAPED CONVICTS. 473 



on the west coast of South America. They scuttled 

 the vessel off the harbour's mouth, and came in in 

 the boat, reporting it to have foundered. Being 

 useful artificers in such an out of the way place, few 

 inquiries were made about them, and they were 

 received by the governor as a very acceptable ad- 

 dition to the population. Singular to say, when at 

 Valdivia in 1 835, I saw some of these men ; they 

 were married, and continued to be rep-arded as a 

 very great acquisition, although a kind of mystery 

 was attached to them. However, their enjoyment 

 of liberty and repose was destined to be but short. 

 Their whereabouts became known, and a man of war 

 was sent to take them. All but one ao-ain effected 

 their escape, in a boat they had just finished for 

 the governor ; and they have not since been heard of. 

 The remaining delinquent was afterwards hanged at 

 Hobarton, wliere he gave a detailed and interesting 

 narrative of the whole affair. 



The few quiet days we had during our stay at 

 Port Dalrymple, enabled us satisfactorily to com- 

 plete the soundings at the entrance. Beacons were 

 also erected on the shore by the Beagle's crew, for 

 guiding vessels through the channels ; they, how- 

 ever, require to be kept white, in order to shew well 

 against the dark o^round behind. I furnished Lieut. 

 M. Friend, R. N. the port oflSicer, with a few notes 

 on the navigation of the Tamar, which, for the sake 

 of the nautical reader, I give below.* 



* The most formidable shoal in the mouth of the Tamar, 

 bearing the name of the Middle Ground, is a rocky patch, with, 



