4.24 LEAVE MARCH HARBOUR—ILDEFoNSos. March 1830. 
ing early—but as the sun rose higher the weather improved, 
and we tried to weigh,—yet were provokingly delayed, for the 
chain was so fast round a rock, that for nearly an hour we could 
not move it. At last we succeeded, without injury to any- 
thing—left the harbour, and stood away for the Ildefonsos 
with a strong W.S.W. wind and a confused high swell. 
“‘ March Harbour (so called from our having passed the 
month of March in it) is not so good as I at first thought. 
The bottom is certainly excellent in some parts ; it is well shel- 
tered, and easy of access, but there are many rocky places 
which would injure a hemp cable. Besides, there is a danger- 
ous rock under water in the wide part of the harbour, hidden 
by a large patch of kelp. 
‘** We passed along the S.W. side of the Ildefonsos, at the 
distance of half a mile. They appeared like the higher parts 
of a mountain almost under water, lying N.W. and S.E., 
nearly broken through by the sea in several places, so as to 
form several islets, of which the highest and largest is about 
two hundred feet above the sea, and one-third of a mile in 
length ; another is about one-quarter of a mile long ; the rest 
are mere rocks. ‘The two larger are covered with tussac,* 
among which we saw numerous seal which had scrambled 
up to the very summits. Having seen enough of these islets, 
we hauled our wind, and shortened: sail, to prepare for the 
night: for it blew a fresh gale, with every appearance of 
its increasing and drawing to the southward. I wished to 
make the Diego Ramirez Islands the next morning, and 
thence run to the north-eastward; and, had the wind been 
moderate, could have done so without difficulty; but after car- 
rying a press of sail during the night, and making southing, 
with as little easting as possible, I found myself, at daylight 
next morning, five miles to leeward of the above-mentioned 
islands, with the wind strong from the N.W., and too much 
sea to allow me to hope to see more of them without remaining 
under sail until the weather moderated. This would not have 
* A rushy kind of coarse grass. 
ce ee a ae 2 oe 
2 
; 
