CHAPTER XVIII. 



Leave Chiloe — Valdivia — Earthquake — Aborigines — Traditions — 

 Words — Convicts — Tolten — Boroa — Imperial — Mocha — Shocks of 

 Earthquake — Anchor off Talcahuano — Ruins — Account of a great 

 Earthquake which destroyed the city of Concepcion : and was felt 

 from Chiloe to Copiapo ; from Juan Fernandes to Mendoza. 



At daylight on the 5th of February the Beagle sailed from 

 Chiloe, and passed along the coast of southern Chile, towards 

 the port of Valdivia. This is a bold and high tract of land, 

 without a danger for shipping to avoid ; but, at the same time, 

 without a safe anchorage between the ports above-mentioned. 

 Soundings extend some miles into the offing, though the water 

 is deep. At two miles westward of this shore we usually found 

 about forty fathoms water ; at three miles about sixty, and at 

 five miles from seventy to eighty or ninety fathoms, with a 

 soft, sandy, or muddy bottom. 



Whenever, as in this case, we w^re obliged to carry on the 

 survey without landing, our observations for latitude — often 

 those for time also — were made at the opposite points of the 

 horizon, as well as in the usual manner, when land did not 

 intervene, and the mean results taken as the most correct. In 

 this way, it is probable that errors occasioned by refraction 

 were in a considerable degree avoided.^ 



The day before arriving at Valdivia we had a strong nor- 

 therly wind, with cold, rainy weather, though the glasses were 

 high. Such an anomaly I have elsewhere noticed, especially 

 in Tierra del Fuego ; but any attempt to explain it must be 

 deferred. Another singularity was the temperature of the 



* We had three sextants, made for me by Worthington, which had 

 additional horizon glasses, enabling them to measure any angle less than 

 160°. The contrivance was my own, and found to answer. It is des- 

 cribed in the Appendix. 



