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CAPE TATE FTNCHAM ISLANDS. DeC. 1829- 



always breaks violently upon them. In crossing Otway Bay, 

 the morning being clear, I was enabled to add considerably to 

 what had been already learned respecting the shores and dangers 

 around it.(e) 



"Off Cape Tate, to the -north and west, lie the College 

 Rocks. Those nearest the Cape are also nearest the track of a 

 ship running along the land, and half a mile west of them lies 

 a detached and dangerous rock, under water. The sea generally 

 breaks on it. 



" We had very thick weather when close to those rocks, 

 which obliged us to ' haul our wind"* for half an hour ; when, 

 as it cleared, we steered round Cape Tate, about a mile off 

 shore. I was in hopes of gaining an anchorage between it and 

 the Fincham Islands, and therefore kept as near the land as I 

 could; but seeing numerous breakers a-head and outside of 

 me, I altered our course, and steered to go outside of all the 

 rocks. After we had passed some of them, a large bight opened 

 out to the north-eastward, and tempted me to haul up for it. 

 We entered the sound at noon, and stood on for nearly four 

 miles without finding an anchorage, or even gaining bottom with 

 fifty fathoms of line, although at the entrance we had from 

 twenty to ten fathoms. Thick weather coming on, made me 

 very anxious to anchor somewhere, and we were now too much 

 hampered to stand out again. We appeared to be among a 

 multitude of islands, very near each other, yet without any 

 anchorage between them ; therefore, having no other resource, 

 we let go both anchors upon the end of a steep-sided islet, where 

 one fell into seven, the other into ten fathoms water, and hooked 

 the rocks. Veering half a cable on each, we found forty fathoms 

 under the stern, with a similar rocky bottom ; so that we had 

 the pleasant prospect of shouldering both our anchors, and 

 drifting into deep water, with the first strong squall. During 

 the remainder of that day, our boats were looking for better 

 anchorage, but without success ; they found patches of rocky 



(e) In Otway Bay, not far from Landfall Island, is a rock on which 

 Mr. Low found Fuegians living among a number of (apparently) tame 

 seals. See second volume. — R. F. 



