999 WARNING—JEROME CHANNEL. May 1829. 
must hav sunk with all her heavy cargo, to us invaluable. 
The plug had worked out by her rolling :—I seldom left her 
afloat at night after this warning. Having saved the boat, 
made me think less of all our things being wetted, and of some 
of the instruments being almost spoiled. 
«* At daylight, on the 8th, we pulled along shore, with the 
wind against us, and reached Point York before the tide made 
strongly ; but that place we could not pass; and sooner than 
give up an inch of ground, let go our grapnels, in the middle of 
a race of tide, that tumbled in over both gunwales, and ran past 
us at the rate of five knots. At one p.m. it slackened, and we 
pulled on into Bachelor River, very glad to get so good a place 
to dry our clothes, and put the boats to rights. Three deserted 
wigwams gave us shelter; and while some made fires, others 
went to collect shell-fish, or shoot birds. ‘Though the season 
was so far advanced, some shrubs were in flower, particularly 
one, which is very like a jessamine, and has a sweet smell. 
Cranberries and berberis-berries were plentiful: I should have 
liked to pass some days at this place, it was so very pretty; 
the whole shore was like a shrubbery. I cannot account for the 
exaggerated accounts of the Fuegian coasts given by some 
voyagers: it is true that the peaks of the mountains are 
covered with snow, and those sides exposed to the prevailing 
west winds are barren, and rugged; but every sheltered spot 
is covered with vegetation, and large trees seem to grow almost 
upon the bare rock. I was strongly reminded of some of the 
Greek islands in winter, when they also have a share of snow 
on their mountains. 
May 9th. The tide carried our boats rapidly up the Jerome 
Channel, which, though narrow, is quite free from danger: 
The west shore is very high, and steep, and well covered with 
wood ; the eastern is lower, and less woody. 
** Having passed this channel, we entered the mysterious 
Indian Sound, with all that anxiety one feels about a place, of 
which nothing is known, and much is imagined. I hoped to find a 
large river ; and the strong tide setting up the channel convinced 
me that there was a body of water inland, but of what nature 
