36 Cordova's Voyage of Discovery 



thought there might be good anchor-ground, but we found no 

 bottom at 30 fathoms. The west point of this bay is low, 

 and beyond /it is another bay, less broad, but as deep as the 

 former, being bounded on the W. by Cape Upright : for this 

 reason Captain Wallis called it Upright Bay. He anchored on 

 the west side of the island just mentioned ; but that position is 

 by no means to be recommended, for the ship, on account of the 

 great depth of water, must be very close to the island, which will 

 then be under her lee in NW. winds, which are the most pre- 

 valent in that quarter : nor can a cable be made fast to the trees 

 on the island, which are all too small and weak for that purpose. 

 The wind still freshening from the NW., we resolved to run 

 under the east side of Cape Upright for the night, which we 

 passed in our boats, not finding a spot of beach or ground for 

 our tents. 



About E. from the triangular island before noticed, appears, 

 on the northern continent, the mouth of Buckley Channel, for- 

 merly supposed to communicate with the channel of San Gero- 

 nimo ; which communication we had already found not to exist. 

 The breadth of the entrance, measured obliquely from N. to S. 

 seemed nearly four miles. In it are two islands, of which the 

 largest is high, precipitous, and hilly, destitute of all vegeta- 

 tion, being in length 2i miles. The channel points E. by N., 

 and from the NW. point the coast of the c5ntinent extends ' 

 without any noticeable object, gradually falling off from the 

 south coast of the strait o3i to the projecting point called Cape 

 Providence. The breadth of the Strait of Magellan to the east 

 of Buckley Channel, is five miles ; from Cape Monday to the 

 island in that channel, it is four miles ; but, to the west of the 

 channel, the breadth is not less than 2§; leagues. The height of 

 the lands on both sides of the strait, is less than in the parts^ 

 towards the middle of the strait ; and nothing is to be seen but 

 naked rocks, which present a most melancholy prospect: nor 

 among the mountains are any observed of remarkable elevation 

 above the others; all are, nevertheless, crowned with snow, even 

 in the midst of summer. 



In the morning after our arrival under Cape Upright, the 

 weather being fa/ourable, we found the magnetic variation 

 22^ 39' 40" E. of N. 



Taking to our oars at 7 a.m. the weather becoming easier, 

 we soon arrived at Cape U|^right, which is situated NW. by W. 

 4| leagues from Cape Monday. The cape runs a great way 

 out into the strait, and is composed of a chain of lofty rocks, 

 resembling on the summit a range of waves of the sea. The 

 north face runs E. and W. two-thirds of a mile, lofty and per- 

 pqndicular over the water, having, one milo E. by S. from it, a 



