94D RETURN TO PORT GALLANT. June 1829. 
but the water is never very cold (42° to 44°).(q) In the after- 
noon we saw the Beagle’s mast-heads, and soon afterwards 
arrived on board, and enjoyed the happiness of finding all 
hands well, and every thing ready for farther progress. Lieu- 
tenant Kempe had turned the few hours of light, each day 
afforded, to the best acccount. Those who have had the care of 
ships in remote places, will know my feelings at finding all as it 
should be, after a long absence, in a country little known. Not 
a man had been ill; and the weather had been very tolerable 
compared with what was expected. There was less snow on 
the mountains than when I left Port Gallant early in May. 
One thing only disappointed me,—the Adelaide had not 
arrived. It was past the time appointed for her, but she might 
have found much more to do than was expected, or might have 
been obliged to return by the Magdalen, instead of coming 
through the Barbara Channel. 
‘*¢ During my absence, two sealing vessels had been at Port 
Gallant, on their way through the Strait. From one (an Ame- 
rican), which arrived on the 7th of May from Staten Land, 
information was received that the Adventure had noi been 
there. The Chanticleer had remained some time, but had 
sailed for the Cape of Good Hope. The master of the Ame- 
rican had a brother staying with a boat’s crew in Staten Land, 
during the whole of April, who would probably have seen the 
Adventure, had she called. The other was Mr. Cutler’s vessel, 
the Uxor, bound to the United States; he had been through 
a channel which leads from the Gulf of Trinidad to Cape 
Tamar, and spoke well of it; but could give no drawing, nor 
precise information ; having passed through rapidly. 
“© Lieutenant Kempe had been at the summit of the Moun-: 
tain de la Cruz, and left a memorial. No rare animals had 
been seen, nor any new birds. Small fish were still caught with 
hook and line, but very few with the seine. 
“<T never was fully aware of the comfort of a bed until this 
(gq) At the western entrance of the Strait the water is said to be gene- 
rally a few degrees warmer than at the eastern.—R. F. 
