1834. 



IlIVER SANTA CIIUZ — BANKS. 



337 



having to take charge of the ship during our absence, could 

 not go ; neither could Mr. Stewart, or Mr. King, who were 

 required to attend to duties on board ; but Mr. Darwin, Mr. 

 Chaffers, Mr. Stokes, Mr. Bynoe, Mr. Mellersh, Mr. Martens, 

 and eighteen seamen and marines prepared to accompany me. 



Early on the 18th we left the Beagle, and with a favouring 

 wind and flood tide sailed up the estuary, into which the river 

 flows. This wide and turbid estuary receives a torrent which 

 rushes through a confined opening into the ocean, during seven 

 hours, and is opposed and driven back by the flood tide during 

 about five hours of the twelve. On each side of both the estuary 

 and river lie extensive plains of arid desert land : these plains 

 are not, however, on the same level ; for, on the northern bank 

 the land is very little raised above the level of high spring tides ; 

 while, on the southern side of the river, high, perpendicular 

 cliff^s form a striking contrast : but after ascending these heights, 

 by any of the ravines which intersect them, one finds a dead 

 level expanse, similar in every respect to that on the northern 

 shore. In the horizon, another ' steppe,"" or parallel plain, at a 

 higher elevation, is seen ; which, at a distance, appears like a 

 range of hills of equal height. 



Excepting in the porphyry districts, all the eastern coasts of 

 Patagonia, and the little of the interior which I have seen, 

 seemed to me to be a similar succession of horizontal ranges of 

 level land varying in height, intersected here and there by 

 ravines and water-courses. There are, certainly, hills in many 

 places which appear when one is passing at sea, or in the dis- 

 tance, conical, or at all events peaked; but even those hills 

 are but the gable ends, as it were, of narrow horizontal ridges 

 of land, higher than the surrounding country. 



The cliff's on the south side of the river have a whitisli 

 appearance ; and are similar to those on the outer coast, 

 which were said by Sir John Narborough to resemble the 

 coast of Kent. Their upper outline, when seen from a dis- 

 tance, is quite horizontal. Brownish yellow is the prevailing 

 colour, lighter or darker, as the sun shines more, or becomes 

 obscured. Here and there, in hollow places and ravines, a 



VOL. II. z 



