Jan. 1835. port refuge — san rafael. 



373 



fusion, and inlets or arms of the sea penetrating in every 

 direction. 



On the 4th we moved to Port Refuge, a safe, but out of the 

 way place. In the " narrative of what befel the Anna Pink,'"* 

 given in Anson"'s Voyage, this harbour is described in very 

 glowing colours ; but we may remember that those who dis- 

 covered it, were there saved from destruction ; and naturally 

 looked upon all things around them with excited feelings.^ 

 How the officers of the Santa Barbara made their survey of 

 this port and its neighbourhood I am at a loss to know ; a 

 mere eye-sketch, drawn upon the spot, might have been much 

 better than that which they gave to the world as a mathema- 

 tical plan. In their distorted representation of Port Refuge, 

 many soundings have been scattered, apparently at random, and 

 quite at variance with truth. This is so unlike most Spanish 

 works of a similar nature, some of which are very accurate,-|* 

 considering the date of their manufacture, and the means em- 

 ployed, — that I conclude the officers of that frigate, not under- 

 standing marine surveying, merely drew rough sketches of 

 what they saw, which were afterwards ' cooked' into a more 

 regular ' appearance,' by some one who was not on board with 

 them. Had time allowed I should have explored the Gulf of 

 San Rafael, at the back of Tres Montes Peninsula,| but know- 

 ing that it could only be an object of geographical, not imme- 

 diately practical interest to do so, I refrained from indulging 

 mere curiosity , much as I desired to corroborate the account 

 of Spanish missionaries who often went there, crossing the 

 Isthmus of Ofqui, in search of Indians among the Guaianeco 

 islands, and even farther south, of whom they might make 

 converts to Christianity. Doubtless some of these voyages 

 were undertaken and completed with benevolent and single- 

 minded intentions; but I suspect that others were conducted 

 on a different principle; and that their chief object was to 

 procure able-bodied slaves to be employed in the mines of 



* Anson's Voyage, chapter iii, 



t Exclusive of mistakes made by compilers or translators. 

 I Appendix, No. 24. 



