198 CHANTICLEER CAPE HORN. April 1829- 



By an angular measurement of its altitude, and the distance 

 given by the chart, its height must be nearly five thousand 

 feet, and the average height of its neighbouring mountains full 

 three thousand. 



A south-west gale now set in, and delayed our reaching 

 Cape Horn until the 16th, when we anchored oiF the entrance 

 of St. Martin's Cove and found the Chanticleer moored within. 

 A boat soon after came with the welcome information of all 

 being well on board her. We were not able to warp into the 

 Cove until next day, and in doing so found much difficulty, 

 owing to the violence of the squalls, which repeatedly obliged 

 us to slacken the hawsers quickly, else we should have carried 

 them away. 



The Adventure was moored in seventeen fathoms, about a 

 cable's length within the low green point on the south side : 

 and the Chanticleer lay in ten fathoms near the head of the 

 Cove. The summit of Cape Horn being in a line with the 

 south point of entrance, we were quite land-locked, and per- 

 fectly sheltered from all winds, excepting the williwaws, or 

 furious gusts from off the high land, which sometimes suddenly 

 struck the ship, and threw her on her broadside ; but being as 

 momentary in duration as they were sudden in approach, we 

 found them more disagreeable than dangerous. 



During our stay here I made a partial survey of the Bay of 

 St. Francis, which has since been completed by Captain Fitz 

 Roy. St. Joachim's Cove, to the southward of St. Martin's 

 Cove, is more exposed than the latter, but is of easier depth. 

 These coves are separated from each other by a steep and 

 precipitous mass of hills of greenstone, which in many parts 

 appear to be stratified, the dip being to the westward, at an 

 angle of 40°. I landed at the point, and ascended the hill, which 

 I found more difficult to do than I supposed, the whole surface 

 being covered with stunted beech bushes, so thickly matted or 

 interwoven together, that I was obliged to walk or crawl over 

 their tops. Among them were occasionally seen the berberis 

 ilicifolia and veronica, the latter of very small size. Another 

 day, Lieutenant Kendall, of the Chanticleer, accompanied me 



