EIVERS OF ARGENTINA. 



377 



over the hard bed of the estuaiy through the water reaching up to their axles. 

 The superficial area of the estuary proper, which at the entrance is 60 miles wide, 

 is estimated at about 5,000 square miles. 



Still more extensive is the outer gulf, which is limited on the north side by 

 Cape Maldonado, and on the south by Cape San Antonio. From the observations 

 on the marine temperature made by the Gazelle, it would appear that the Plateau 



Fig-. I,'ï2. — Argentine Scenery. — View taken opposite the Collon-Cura 



waters penetrate in the direction of the south as far as Cape Corrientes. Here 

 they merge in two other liquid masses, one coming from the tropical regions, the 

 other setting from the Pacific Ocean round Cape Horn. 



Despite buoys and lighthouses, the funnel-shaped Plate Estuary continues to 

 be extremely dangerous to shipping. The short, chojjping seas charged with 

 sands, the swift and shifting currents, the fierce squalls succeeding each other at 



