638 CURRENT RETURN TO ENGLAND. April — Nov 



there in earlier years, when its existence was hardly known. 

 We found the current setting towards the north-west, as I 

 had been led to expect ; but, from what I could observe, 

 during our stay, as well as from oral information, I am led to 

 believe that the current only sets strongly during about the 

 last half of the flood tide, and the first half of the ebb ; and 

 that during the other six hours there is little or no current ; 

 as is the case off Cape Horn, and in many other places.* 



Our passage to the Mauritius was slow, but in smooth water. 

 Tropic birds, a few terns, and gannets were seen, at intervals, 

 when passing the neighbourhood of the Chagos Islands, and at 

 our approach to the island Rodriguez. We anchored in Port 

 Louis, at the Mauritius, on the 29th of April : sailed thence 

 on the 9th of May : passed near Madagascar — thence along the 

 African shore— and anchored in Simon's Bay, at the Cape of 

 Good Hope, on the 31st. From that well-known place we 

 went to St. Helena, Ascension, Bahia, Pernambuco, the Cape 

 Verde Islands, and the Azores ; and anchored at Falmouth, on 

 the 2d of October, after an absence of four years and nine 

 months from England. 



From Falmouth we went to Plymouth ; and thence, calling 

 at Portsmouth, to the Thames. On the 28th our anchor was 

 let go at Greenwich ; and, after the chronometer rates M^ere 

 ascertained, the Beagle dropped down to Woolwich, where she 

 was paid off on the 17th of November. 



Greenwich was the last station at which observations were 

 made ; and, singularly enough, Mr. Usborne and his compa- 

 nions came on board as we anchored there. Independent of 

 the gratification of meeting them again, after so wide a separa- 

 tion, it may be supposed how my mind was relieved by his 

 safe return from a very successful expedition, in which he had 

 surveyed the whole coast of Peru, from Atacama to Guaya- 

 quil, without loss or accident. Although his own life was 

 seriously risked on two or three occasions, by shots fired under 

 misapprehension ; I must not omit to mention that hostilities 



• V'arying from three parts, to one-quarter of a tide difference between 

 the time of low water and the beginning of flood stream. 



