434 ST. FRANCIS BAY DIEGO RAMIREZ. April 1830. 



soundings, does that plan correspond with the place now called 

 St. Francis Bay ; but it does agree very closely, considering 

 the date of its being made, with the part I have mentioned. 

 The words Cape Horn may have misled the compiler, as the 

 plan does not show any latitude or longitude, and those who 

 since visited the place, previously to the Beagle's arrival, had 

 not been in Nassau Bay. 



26th. Another fine day. I went up the peak again and 

 obtained the desired angles ; but Diego Ramirez appeared 

 nearly as distant ^as when seen from the top of Henderson 

 Island. Meanwhile the Beao^le was unmoored and s^ot under 

 sail. I reached her outside the cove, and stood to seaward ; 

 but the day was too fine, there being little or no wind till 

 dark, when a light breeze carried us out of the bay. I steered 

 for the Diego Ramirez Islands, anxious to profit by the fine 

 weather, and examine them more closely. 



" 27th. The water being smooth, we had a good opportunity 

 of taking angles for placing the coast between West Cape and 

 Cape Spencer, which completed what was wanting in that part ; 

 afterwards, we again steered towards the Diego Ramirez. 



" 28th. A fine morning with a fresh breeze, just such as we 

 desired. Having kept our wind under easy sail during the 

 night, we bore up, and, at daylight, ran along the east side of 

 the rocky cluster, the wind being from the N.E. We hove-to 

 frequently to take angles and soundings, and sailed quite round 

 the islands at the average distance of half a mile, and then stood 

 away to the northward. They are quite similar to the Ilde- 

 fonsos ; the top of a ridge of hills showing above the water, and 

 broken through by the sea. The two largest are about two 

 hundred feet high, and are covered with tussac : there is a 

 shingle beach on one (the second in size), where a boat may be 

 hauled up in safety ; and there is enough good water on the 

 east side of the same island to supply thirty men. A furious 

 surf breaks against the west shore, and sends a spray over the 

 whole island. There is no sheltered anchorage for a vessel : 

 for though she might bring up in deep water, on the eastern 

 side of the group, for a short time, she would even then risk 



