44. 



Cordo'Vas Vox/ age of Discovcri/ 



which must therefore He farther out than is commonly supposed. 

 By observation, we calculated the heigist of the western peak 

 over the sea, to be 395 English yards, and the eastern 463 yards. 

 While we were at the cape the weather was perfectly calm ; but 

 the swell from the north-west was such, that it was absolutely im- 

 possible to land in any part of the point, or even in the neighbour- 

 hood, so powerful was the back-draught from the perpendicular 

 cliffs over the water. In the evening the weather grew hazy ; 

 so that, on the north shore, we could perceive only Cape Vic- 

 toria, the western extremity of the strait, which we ascertained 

 to bear N. T° 20' W. and S. T 20' E. with Cape Pillar. Cape 

 Victoria appeared to us as a broad even point, of no great 

 height ; but, as we could see it distinctly from the water, 

 although at the distance of 7| leagues, its real elevation must 

 be considerable : but we judged of it, by comparing its height 

 with that of two round hills to the eastward, from which the 

 cape seemed to proceed. 



Having now arrived at the western limit of our expedition, 

 we prepared to avail ourselves of the calm, to return to the east- 

 ward ; for, as the coast from Cape Pdlar offers no inlet or bend 

 to afford shelter, in case of necessity, on to Port Misericordia, 

 a distance of three miles, a change of weather, particularly in 

 the night-time, would probably have been fatal. A wind from 

 E. would have carried us out into the Pacific — from W. or N. 

 would have forced us to leeward on the rocks ; and the wind 

 from the S. or SW. would have sent us over towards the north 

 shore of the strait, six leagues off, but only known to be full of 

 danger. The favourable calm, however, continued ; and, when 

 we had rowed 2f miles, w^e landed on the largest of the islands 

 at the west point of Misericordia, hoping to have a view of the 

 Four Evangelists, small islands in the middle of the entrance of 

 the strait. Although very distant, and the atmosphere was 

 cloudy, we were luckily able to discover them, and to mark 

 their position, and that of several other objects of importance in 

 our chart. Having finished our observations on the island, we 

 deposited on it a bottle containing a paper, denoting the period 

 and the object of our voyage, with the names of the officers in 

 the two boats. This Island of the Bottle, as we named it, is of 

 considerable elevation, consisting of layers of stone parallel 

 among themselves, but all inclined towards the strait, manifest- 

 ing their having been torn off from the adjoining precipices on 

 the land. On the highest part of the island we found a vast 

 quantity of sea-shells lying loose. They appeared to be all re- 

 cent, and all of one kind, that is, of a species of mussel frequent 

 along the coast. We could account for their assemblage in that 



