April 1830. weather— mr. Murray's discovery. 429 



" Theglasses had at last been vising; and during the past night 

 and this day, the wind was very strong with much rain. The 

 wind shifted from the northern quarter into the southern, draw- 

 ing round to the S.E.; which, of course, would make the mer- 

 cury rise higher after being so very low, though the weather 

 might prove extremely bad. 



" 14th. The master returned, and surprised me with the infor- 

 mation that he had been through and far beyond Nassau Bay. 

 He had gone very little to the northward, but a long distance 

 to the east, having passed through a narrow passage, about 

 one-third of a mile wide, which led him into a straight chan- 

 nel, averaging about two miles or more in width, and extending 

 nearly east and west as far as the eye could reach. Westward of 

 the passage by which he entered, was an opening to the north- 

 west ; but as his orders specified north and east, he followed 

 the eastern branch of the channel, looking for an opening on 

 either side, without success. Northward of him lay a range of 

 mountains, whose summits were covered v/ith snow, which 

 extended about forty miles, and then sunk into ordinary hills 

 that, near the place which he reached, shewed earthy or clayey 

 cliffs towards the water. From the clay cliffs his view was 

 unbroken by any land in an E.S.E. direction, therefore he 

 must have looked through an opening at the outer sea. His 

 provisions being almost exhausted, he hastened back. 



" On the south side of the channel there were likewise 

 mountains of considerable elevation ; but, generally speaking, 

 that shore was lower than the opposite. Mr. Murray saw great 

 numbers of natives near the narrow passage and upwards of 

 a hundred canoes were seen in one day, each containing from 

 two to six people. These Fuegians had much guanaco skin, and 

 many of the bones of that animal made into spear-heads, but 

 very little seal-skin. The wigwams were large and commodious, 

 compared with those of the western tribes, being built of small 

 trees piled up endwise, and tied together at the top, their 

 outside being covered with bushes, grass, &c. to keep out the 

 cold, and the earth inside scooped out much below the surface 



of the ground. Some could hold about twice as many people 



