^58 ADELAIDE ARRIVES AT CHILOE. July 1829. 



On the 20th of September my anxiety for the Adelaide was 

 reheved by her appearance, and by finding all on board her in 

 good health. She had gone up the coast by the channels that 

 communicate with the Strait of Magalhaens at Beaufort Bay, 

 passing inside of Hanover Island and Madre de Dios ; and 

 Lieut. Skyring gave me a very interesting account of their 

 discoveries, of which the following is an abstract. 



It will be remembered that the Beagle left the Adelaide 

 at anchor under Cape Upright. While there the wind fresh- 

 ened up from the eastward, and threw a swell into the bay, 

 which rendered the anchorage very unsafe, as the schooner^s 

 stern was in the foam of the sea that broke on the rocky shore 

 close to her. Much anxiety was felt for their safety, but the 

 anchors held well. As soon as the weather permitted they 

 sailed, entered Beaufort Bay, and steered towards a deep open_ 

 ing to the eastward of Cape Phillip, into which they ran with 

 a steady S.E. wind, and found an anchorage on the west side 

 in Deep Harbour. 



On the 5th of July Lieut. Skyring and Mr. Kirke were 

 absent in a whaleboat, exploring a deep opening eastward of 

 Cape Tamar, which they found to terminate in two sounds, 

 named by them Icy Sound and Glacier Bay ; the first from 

 its being covered with a sheet of ice, and the latter from its 

 being full of large masses which had been detached from an 

 extensive glacier occupying the bottom of the bay. The exa- 

 mination of this opening was made in search of a channel, 

 through which, vessels had entered the Strait, and the schooner 

 was to proceed to her rendezvous. The result proved that the 

 Adelaide was already in the channel they were looking for, 

 therefore they returned on board, and proceeded (7th) to the 

 northward. In passing Mount Joy a strong tide was observed, 

 the certain indication of a channel ; for, as has been before 

 remarked, within sounds the tide has no perceptible stream. 

 To gain a better knowledge of their way they anchored early 

 in Good's Bay ; the course of the channel, from the inter- 

 section of points, and intervention of islands, being by no 

 means distinct. Lieut. Graves made a plan of the bay, while 



