Dec. 1829. BLIND EREAKER— FUEGIANS PETREL. 



867 



squalls, and rain : the sky being so constantly overcast that * 

 we saw neither sun nor stars. Although no progress was made 

 in this weather, it was some satisfaction to think that we lost 

 nothing but time; and that we saved much wear of the vessel 

 by lying at anchor instead of being at sea. Being more 

 moderate in the afternoon, our boats went away, and the ship 

 was prepared for sailing. We tried to get some fur-seal, which 

 were seen on a rock near the harbour, but they were too wary. 



" My boat was almost capsized by a ' blind breaker,' which 

 rose suddenly underneath her, and in an instant she was sur- 

 rounded by and floated upon a white wave of foam, which 

 broke all round and over, but without upsetting or swamp- 

 ing her. 



o 



" 19th. Weighed and ran across to an anchorage in Landfall 

 Island which I had seen from the heights. We anchored in a 

 sheltered bay lying on the north side of the larger island, at 

 the east opening of a passage which separates it from the smaller. 

 These islands are high and, towards the sea, barren ; but the 

 sides of the hills, towards the east, are thickly wooded. 



" A large smoke made near the bay showed us, that the 

 Fuegians were in possession of our intended quarters; and soon 

 after we anchored, a canoe came off to us full of men, women, 

 and children, sixteen in all. They were in every respect similar 

 to those we had so frequently met before; and from their unwil- 

 lingness to part with furs or skins, unless for serviceable arti- 

 cles, such as knives, &c. appeared to have had dealings with 

 Europeans : beads and trinkets they did not value. They had, 

 in the canoe, many eggs, and dead birds, which they eat raw: 

 the birds were a light blue, or dove-coloured, petrel, about 

 eight inches long, which goes on land for a part of the year 

 to lay eggs in holes in the ground. During this and the follow- 

 ing day, we were fortunate enough to obtain observations, and 

 nearly all the necessary bearings and angles. 



^' As yet I was pleased with the anchorage ; the bottom 

 shoaled gradually from twenty to five fathoms (fine sand), and 

 it was sheltered from west winds, besides others, except north. 

 Having obtained particularly good observations for latitude at 



