S26 



APPENDIX. 



on landing at the point we saw a smoke on the east side of the bay, 

 and, on puUing over there, found two fishermen, who told us that 

 the place was Hueso Parado, and that Paposo was round another 

 point about eight miles to the northward. On inquiring for water, 

 they brought us some, which was better than what was used in some 

 other places to the southward, but it was still scarcely fit for use ; 

 they said it was similar at Paposo, and they thought it very good. 

 In the south corner of the bay there appeared to be fit anchorage for 

 vessels, and the landing good, but very open to northerly winds. 

 No vessel had ever been there in the recollection of the men that we 

 spoke to, neither had they heard of any ; they described Paposo as 

 having only four ' ranchos ' and a few fishermen : the port not good. 

 ,The bay that Paposo is in they called Nuestra Senora, the north 

 point of the bay Point Rincon, and the south. Point Grande ; the 

 projecting point, answering to the Point Nuestra Seiiora of the 

 Spanish charts, they called Point Plata. The bay to the north- 

 ward of Point Ballena, is Ballenita ; the bay in which we anchored 

 to the northward of it is called Lavata ; the point, with the penin- 

 sula, is Isla de las Tortolas : the point to the northward of it Point 

 San Pedro ; the bay which we were in afterwards is Isla Blanca, 

 and the point of Hueso Parado Bay, Point Taltal. 



The only place at which we observed the time of syzygial high- water, 

 quite satisfactorily, was Huasco,* where it is 8.30, and the rise four 

 feet at neap tides ; at springs, it rises about two feet more. From 

 the swell on all this coast, it is very difficult to get the time of high- 

 .water at all near the truth ; the rise and fall appeared to be five 

 ■<or six feet on aU parts of the coast. The only perceptible current 

 we experienced was in the channel between Sugar Loaf Island and 

 the main, where there was a very slight one to the northward, not 

 more than a quarter of a mile an hour; and this was after a fresh 

 breeze from the southward for several days. It is said, however, by 

 coasters, that there is usually a set, towards the north, of about 

 half a mile an hour. 



* And here the tide was very carefully observed in a cove, where 

 there was no swell ; yet from the small rise, the exact time could not be 

 taken within a few minutes. The Avater remained at the same level 

 about half an hour. 



