312 



PLAYA PARDA ABRA EORJA. 



April 1830. 



experienced no current. At daylight we were in the entrance of 

 the ' Long Reach,** abreast of Cape Monday. 



While passing the opening opposite to Playa Parda, a 

 schooner was observed at anchor, and a boat was seen coming 

 out to us. It contained the mate of the schooner Industry, of 

 New Bedford, who informed us that she had been lying there, 

 weather-bound, for nearly a month. He came to make inquiries 

 about good anchorages to the westward (having already lost 

 two anchors), and to learn in what part of the Strait he was ; 

 his own idea being, that the vessel was under Cape Monday. 

 Having given him the required information, we proceeded; 

 but the wind fell light, and we were glad to anchor in the 

 cove of Playa Parda. With our chains we found it safe ; but 

 the bottom, being rocky, would probably do much injury to 

 hempen cables. 



The opening opposite to us, where the schooner was lying, 

 was evidently Sarmiento''s ' Abra.' It appeared to us to be a 

 mile and a half wide, with an island in the entrance. Within, 

 it seemed to take a south, then a south-west direction, and 

 afterwards to trend round a low hummocky point of the eastern 

 shore, under a high, precipitous ridge, on the opposite or wes- 

 tern shore, towards the S.E. ; beyond this its course could 

 not be observed. When passing through this part of the Strait, 

 Captain Stokes found the weather so bad, that although the 

 distance across was only two or three miles, the shores were 

 often concealed by clouds and rain, so as to render it impossible 

 for him to make any survey of them. 



We were detained the two following days by bad weather. 

 On the 5th we proceeded, but before we got abreast of Snowy 

 Sound, heavy rain set in, which lasted all day. 



As we passed Borja Bay, a schooner was observed at anchor 

 in it, so like the Adelaide, that we altered our course to com- 

 municate with her. From a boat which came oif to us, we 

 learned that it was a sealing-vessel, called the Hope, of New 

 York, going through the Strait, from Staten Land. She had . 

 seen nothing of the Adelaide. 



When abreast of Bachelor River, a canoe, containing two 



