cumoL^s NOTICES OF THE NATIVES. March 1830- 



opening, between Cape San Mateo and San Vincent, it turns 

 suddenly to the south and S.b.E., continues in that direction 

 for nearly thirty miles, washing the base of the Cordillera which 

 rises from it precipitously, and is closed by a low isthmus, two 

 miles across, dividing this inlet from Stewart Bay, and over 

 which Mr. Kirke passed to take the bearings of several points 

 that he recognised in Coihngw^ood Strait. 



" In the prosecution of the survey northward of our anchor- 

 age, those passages were discovered which separate so much 

 of the east coast of Sarmiento Channel from the main land ; 

 and the islands thus made known I named after Commodore 

 Sir Edward Owen,* the channel of separation being called 

 Blanche Passage. 



"One of the boats met with a canoe containing eight Indians; 

 this was only the second that had yet been seen during our 

 cruise. 



"An interview, which two of the schooner's men had with 

 these people, is so characteristic of the habits of the natives 

 who wander in canoes, that I add the account, as given by one 

 of those men : ' When we arrived at the wigwam, there were 

 two women and five children inside, and a dozen dogs near it. 

 At our entrance, the children crept close to one side of the wig- 

 wam, behind their mothers, who made signs for us to sit down 

 on the opposite side, which we did. The women, seeing that 

 we were wet, and meant to do them no harm, sent the two 

 eldest children out to gather sticks, and made up a large fire ; 

 so we cut some pieces of bread from a loaf which we had, 

 and distributed them. They all appeared to like the bread, 

 particularly the youngest, which was sucking at the breast ; 

 for it eat its own slice, besides one we gave its mother. After 

 we had been there about half an hour, and had given them 

 some beads and buttons, a man came in from behind the wig- 

 wam, where he had concealed himself when we entered, and sat 

 down beside us. By signs, he asked where our boat was, and 

 how many men there were with us. We told him the men and 

 boat were a httle way off, and made signs that we wanted to 

 * At the request of Lieutenant Mitchell, of the Adventure. 



