SIGNOR BARTOLOMEO BOSS/. 281 



of the principal English merchants, whose kindness 

 placed me under several obligations. On the follow- 

 ing day he introduced me to an enterprising Italian, 

 whose name deserves to be remembered in connection 

 with modern exploration of the coasts of Patagonia 

 and Tierra del Fuego. Signor Bartolomeo Bossi, who 

 emigrated early in life to South America, seems to 

 be a born explorer, and whenever he has laid by 

 sufficient funds for the purpose he has forsaken other 

 pursuits to start upon some expedition to new or 

 little known parts of the continent. In a small 

 steamer of 220 tons, fitted out at his own cost, he has 

 in two expeditions minutely explored the intricate 

 coasts of the Fuegian Archipelago and a great portion 

 of the Channels of Patagonia. 



Several of the discoveries interesting to navigators 

 made in the course of the first of these voyages 

 were published in the Noticias Hidrograficas of the 

 Chilian naval department for 1876, and Signor Bossi 

 asserts that the chief motive that determined the 

 English admiralty in despatching the surveying 

 expedition of the Alert was to verify the announce- 

 ments first made by him. I have not seen any 

 reference to Signor Bossi in the interesting volume, 

 "The Cruise of the Alert" by Dr. Coppinger ; but it 

 appears certain that many of the observations re- 

 corded in the Santiago Noticias have been accepted, 

 and are embodied in the most recent charts. 



In this part of America the Republic of Uruguay 

 is commonly designated as the Banda Oriental, 

 because it lies altogether on the eastern bank of that 

 great river. It possesses great natural advantages — 



