Jan. 1833. 



BEAGLE CHANNEL. 



243 



the two others proceeded to survey the western end of the 

 Beagle channel. The view in this central part was very 

 remarkable. Looking towards either hand^ no object inter- 

 cepted the vanishing points of this long canal of the moun- 

 tains. The circumstance of its being an arm of the sea was 

 rendered very evident by several huge whales spouting in 

 different directions. On one occasion I saw two of these 

 monsters, probably male and female, slowly swimming one 

 after the other, within less than a stone^s throw of the shore, 

 over which the beech extended its branches. 



We sailed on till it was dark, and then pitched our tents 

 in a quiet creek. The greatest luxury here is to find a beach 

 of pebbles, for they are both dry and yield to the body. The 

 peaty soil is damp ; rock is uneven and hard ; sand gets into 

 one^s meat, when cooked and eaten boat-fashion ; but when 

 lying in our blanket bags, on a good bed of smooth pebbles, 

 we passed most comfortable nights. 



It was my watch till one o'clock. There is something 

 very solemn in these scenes. At no time does the con- 

 sciousness in what a remote corner of the world you are 

 then buried, come so strongly before your mind. Every 

 thing tends to this effect; the stillness of the night is 

 interrupted only by the heavy breathing of the seamen be- 

 neath the tents, and sometimes by the cry of a night bird. 

 The occasional barking also of a dog, heard in the distance, 

 reminds one that it is the land of the savage. 



29th. — Early in the morning we arrived at the point 

 where the Beagle channel divides itself into two arms ; and we 

 entered the northern one. The scenery here becomes even 

 grander than before. The lofty mountains on the north side 

 compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the whole country. 

 They were covered by a wide mantle of perpetual snow, and 

 numerous cascades poured their waters, through the woods, 

 into the narrow channel below. In many parts magnificent 

 glaciers extended from the mountain side to the water's edge. 

 It is scarcely possible to imagine any thing more beautiful 

 than the beryl-like blue of the glacier, and especially when 



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