Dec. 1833. 



RIVER — ROCK AT PORT DESIRE. 



317 



yards wide, but so shallow that there was only three feet water 

 in the middle. The river narrowed considerably as they 

 ascended, till at the spot where Mr. Chaffers stopped to take 

 sights of the sun, the stream was but forty yards across. In 

 that place the deepest water was three feet at the top of high 

 tide, over a gravelly bottom ; but from the level space between 

 the stream and the foot of the nearest hills, about three quarters 

 of a mile, there was reason for supposing that during floods 

 all the valley might be inundated. From a neighbouring hill, 

 four himdred feet in height, the river could be traced several 

 miles further, making a distance of about eight miles seen by 

 our party, in which the water was quite fresh. It was lost to 

 the westward, winding along an irregular break, or cliff-bounded 

 valley, in the distant hills. The only living creature seen, of 

 any size, was a lame horse, feeding near the river. There were 

 no traces whatever of Indians. Having hastened back with 

 the little boat before the river dried* (at half-ebb), Mr. 

 Chaffers ascended another hill ; but saw little more excepting 

 an appearance of water to the southward, about which he could 

 not clearly distinguish whether it was a lake, part of a river, 

 or a salt-pond. I have no doubt, that during particular sea- 

 sons a large body of fresh water is brought down this valley, 

 but I do not think the river rises near the Andes, because there 

 is no drift-wood on its banks, and the Indians say nothing of 

 it when enumerating the rivers which cross the continent. 



Jan. 4th, 1834. In working out of Port Desire, the Beagle 

 struck her fore-foot heavily against a rock, so as to shake her 

 fore and aft ; but on she went with the tide, and as she 

 made no water, I did not think it w^orth while returning into 

 port. I was instantly convinced that we had hit the very rock 

 on which the Beagle struck in 1829, in the night — a danger 

 we never again could find by daylight till this day, when I 

 was, rather imprudently, going out with the last quarter-ebb. 



* The tide fell more than fourteen feet perpendicularly ; but a small 

 brook remained, perhaps a foot deep, winding- its course between the 

 uncovered banks. 



